Earlier this year, the Qatari speed racer steered into victory at the Qatar International Baja.
Qatar’s ‘Prince of Dunes’, Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, extended his lead in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas to win the Baja Spain Aragon title.
Partnered with his co-driver Mathieu Baume, Al-Attiyah marked his sixth win in Spain, finishing 6 hours 18 min 37.2 sec, just mere minutes ahead of Brazilian duo Lucas Moraes and Kaique Bentivoglio.
“This is a fantastic result for myself and Mathieu, and it puts us in a really strong position in the FIA World Cup after four rounds with three wins and one-second place,” Al Attiyah said after the win.
At 52 years old, Al Attiyah has been crowned as one of the best drivers in his league, with several drivers, including Brazil’s Moraes, anointing him as the greatest of all time.
“Last year, we got third, this year, we got second behind the GOAT. Maybe next year, we can move one step further. Kaique did an amazing job. The pace we kept was unbelievable. We had a blast!” Moraes voiced.
Al Attiyah has had a phenomenal year and boasted a hometown victory in Qatar’s International Baja tournament.
Finishing 16 minutes and 21.6 seconds ahead of his competitors, Al Attiyah praised those who supported him in his triumph despite crashing out in an earlier race prior to the Qatari race.
“It was a good Baja. The first day I had a small margin, and the second day I pushed a lot. I thank Jean-Marc (Fortin) from Overdrive Racing for bringing me a new car, and thanks to Qatar Airways for flying this car over very swiftly so that I was able to compete here,” Al Attiyah said.
“I am very glad to win here again on my home race. I always want to compete in every international event in Qatar and it’s great to bounce back with a win after my big crash in Abu Dhabi,” the five-time Dakar winner added.
As it stands, Al Attiyah has earned the record of a 16-time Middle East Rally Champion, five time winner of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, and a five-time Dakar Rally winner.
His five victories in the Dakar Rally make him the only Middle Easterner and West Asian to win the competition more than once.
