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Toyota driver Nasser Al-Attiyah
Qatari Dakar rally driver Nasser al-Attiyah has prepared for the second edition of the race in Saudi Arabia with a strict muscle-building training regimen adapted to coronavirus restrictions.
Organized in Africa between 1979 and 2007, the most famous rally in the world moved to the mountainous terrain of South America between 2009 and 2019.
Attiyah won the reincarnated race in 2011, 2015 and 2019.
The rally’s move to Saudi Arabia in 2020 returned Attiyah, 50, to the desert environment of the Gulf that he knew best, having been born in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
“I adopted a different physical program that focused on building muscle,” he told AFP before the competition that begins Saturday and lasts until January 16.
Together with his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel, “we train according to the countries that celebrate the Dakar,” he said.
As a result of lockdown rules in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the champion pilot was forced to adapt his preparation.
“I have a simulator at home and a sports hall that allows me to stay in the rally environment,” Attiyah said.
At the wheel of his Toyota, Attiyah finished second in the 2020 Dakar, the first edition of the race held on the Arabian peninsula, behind Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Mini) and ahead of Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel (Mini).
Attiyah is a powerful symbol of the rise of Qatar, the tiny Gulf emirate that in a matter of decades has grown into a sporting powerhouse.
Before training at the vast Aspire sports academy in Doha, Attiyah had struggled throughout his youth to finance his dream of becoming a winning racing driver.
“The program ranged from biking 100 to 150 kilometers a day, running and other exercises,” he said.
Nicknamed “Superman” by his compatriots for his ability to “dance on the sand dunes”, he has been champion of the Middle East 16 times, won 75 regional competitions, three editions of the Dakar and lifted the world rally cup four times. ground.
Despite his success behind the wheel, he is also dedicated to Olympic clay pigeon shooting.
Attiyah is now preparing for the virus-delayed 2021 Olympics after securing fourth place at the 2004 Athens Games and bronze in London 2012.
