It was arguably the first opportunity for Toyota Gazoo racing SA to measure its performance on Dakar 2018. The opening stage was too short, with lots of strategy at play; while Stage 2 saw Nasser Al Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel open the road, with the French navigator falling ill mid-stage. Bernhard ten Brinke/Michel Périn followed hot on the heels of their teammates, but only Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz were in a position to attack. Stage 3, however, saw Al Attiyah starting in 7th place and the Qatari superstar quickly pounced. Together with Baumel, the pair attacked right from the start, pushing hard and making up time throughout the 296 km-long special stage. With that said, their blitzkrieg was hampered by two punctures, which cost them the best part of three minutes mid-stage.
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