After traversing Russia's forests, the Mongolian steppe and the deserts of northern China, Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah finally claimed victory in the "big and beautiful" Silk Way Rally on Tuesday. Unchallenged after the elimination on day two of his main rival - Toyota teammate Yazeed Al-Rajhi of Saudi Arabia - Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Mathieu Baumel cruised to victory, winning all the stages of a gruelling competition.
His first victory in the Silk Way, adds to Al-Attiyah's three wins in the Dakar rally, including the 2019 edition. China's Wei Han and Liao Min were second with Frenchmen Jerome Pelichet and Pascal Larroque third. Al-Attiyah, twice second in previous editions of the race, said: "It was important to me because it is a big and beautiful race." The ninth edition of the rally started from Irkutsk in Russian Siberia on July 6 and ended 10 days, and 5,000 kilometres, later in China's Gobi desert crossroads of Dunhuang, the Silk Road outpost famous for caves adorned with ancient Buddhist statues and frescoes.