In a thrilling turn of events, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Edouard Boulanger have emerged victorious in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, marking the second triumph for the Dacia Sandrider in just three races. This is part of the second round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.
The pair from Toyota Gazoo Racing – Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon – secured the second and third positions, while Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz rounded off the podium. The victory was a significant one for Al-Attiyah, who expressed his joy and satisfaction with the result, and his gratitude to the Dacia Sandriders team.
According to Al-Attiyah, the win was the result of a concerted effort throughout the week, and a testament to the strength of the team and their car. He acknowledged the fierce competition and expressed empathy for fellow racer Seb who had an unfortunate incident the previous day.
Now leading the championship with a commendable 91 points, Al-Attiyah is a five-time Desert Challenge winner. The race culminated in an exciting finish, with Al-Attiyah holding a narrow 41-second lead over Moraes’ Hilux ahead of the final 167km stage.
The competition was intense from the start. Al-Attiyah won the 11km prologue, but it was Moraes who initially took the lead in stage one, outpacing Dacia’s Sebastian Loeb and Quintero. The second stage saw Loeb make a comeback, seizing the stage win and overall lead, followed by Moraes and Al-Attiyah.
However, the tables turned again in SS3 when Al-Attiyah claimed the stage win and replaced Loeb at the top of the leaderboard. Moraes maintained his consistent performance and secured second place, while Loeb slipped to third.
Loeb’s 51st birthday turned out to be less than celebratory when he had to withdraw from the rally due to a mishap involving a waypoint and a mini-dune. Loeb’s car was deemed unfit for the race by the FIA due to the damage sustained to the roll cage during the incident.
Meanwhile, the young Polish racer, Eryk Goczal, and Oriol Mena emerged as winners in their Prodrive Toyota Hilux, becoming the fourth different winners in five stages. Al-Attiyah secured the fastest time in the final stage, winning the event by a margin of 2’28” over Moraes.
Behind Quintero in the overall standings were Juan Yacopini/Daniel Oliveras, followed by Mitch Guthrie/Kellon Walch and Guy Botterill/Dennis Murphy. Dakar winners Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk had to retire early due to an engine issue. Goczal’s Overdrive machine also caught fire during the final stage.
Al-Attiyah now leads the overall championship, followed by Al Rajhi, Moraes, Quintero, and Henk Lategan. The next round of the W2RC Championship is the Toyota Gazoo Racing South African Safari Rally, scheduled for 18 – 24 May.
