Sports
2020.01.16 21:26 GMT+8

Fernando Alonso escapes car-rolling accident in Dakar Rally unhurt

Updated 2020.01.16 21:26 GMT+8
Sports Scene

Journalists shoot when Fernando Alonso's vehicle rolls over in Dakar Rally Stage 10 in Saudi Arabia, January 15, 2020. /CGTN Sports Scene Screenshot

Dakar Rally finished the race of stage 10 on January 15 in Saudi Arabia. Carlos Sainz Sr., the two-time Dakar Rally winner, who dominated the overall leading and ranked 5th on stage nine, was working to extend his overall lead in his Mini Buggy in the cars category when the leg was halted due to strong winds and deteriorating conditions, which proved to be a nightmare for the Formula One great Fernando Alonso.

Alonso's Toyota rolled over on the dunes multiple times. The situation looked really bad as the vehicle flipped down the Rub' Al Khali desert hill, but luckily nobody was injured – not the two-time F1 world champion himself and his co-driver, or any of the photographers and spectators.

The 39-year-old was losing control while he was turning on a steep angle. After losing more than an hour trying to repair the damage, the Spaniard continued without a windshield but fell from 10th to 14th in the overall ranking.

For Toyota's defending champion Nasser Al Attiyah, he had a terrible leaving in this stage, which he finished as the 17th, but the Qatari still remained second overall.

In the bikes category, American rider Ricky Brabec finished the tenth stage second to extend his overall lead to 25 minutes on Chile's Pablo Quintanilla. Joan Barreda Bort of Spain won the leg and secured third place overall.

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