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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Joe Cooper

Fernando Alonso escapes horror crash after rolling car twice during Dakar Rally

Fernando Alonso escaped a frightening crash during the 2020 Dakar Rally after he performed a double barrel-roll down a sand dune.

Alonso, who was trying to make time on compatriot and race leader Calos Sainz, lost control of his vehicle in the tenth stage of the race.

The stage, which was halted before the halfway point due to strong winds and deteriorating conditions in the Saudi Arabian desert, proved too much to handle as Alonso flipped his car down the steep hill.

In the video posted online, Alonso's car can be heard roaring up the blind side of the sandy bank.

Alonso's car reaches the top of the hill (Reuters)

The crowd begin to cheer as his car traverses the top of the sand dune, but their cries are cut short as it immediately becomes clear that his vehicle is out of control.

Alonso's car approaches the top of the hill at an awkward angle and unable to control his speed, the Spaniard's car rolls over twice before fortunately landing upright.

The engine roars as the car reaches the bottom of the hill with the windscreen broken.

Nevertheless, the two-time Formula One champion continued the race without protection from the sand.

His car flips down the sand dune (Reuters)
Alonso arrives at the bottom of the hill in a cloud of sand (Reuters)

He had started the day 10th overall but fell back to 14th after losing more than an hour - helped in no small part by the crash.

Carlos Sainz extended his lead in the overall race after winning the stage.

The mini buggy driver, a two-times winner of the endurance event, had started only 24 seconds clear of Toyota's defending champion Nasser Al Attiyah but extended his lead to 18 minutes and 10 seconds.

The car category's 534km special stage from Haradh was halted after 223km, with the competitors travelling to the bivouac at Shubaytah in liaison.

Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel, a 13-times Dakar winner, was in third place overall and a further 16 seconds behind Al Attiyah.

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