Sebastien Loeb took Bahrain Raid Xtreme into the heat of the battle in the Rallye du Maroc today as Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah moved closer to retaining his driver’s title in the World Rally-Raid Championship.
Loeb, driving his BRX Prodrive Hunter competitively for the first time in six months, recorded a third-place finish on the rally’s 311-km opening stage between Agadir and Zagora, which Al Attiyah won.
Nine-time World Rally champion Loeb and Fabian Lurquin are back together again after the Belgian co-driver broke his shoulder in April’s Sonora Rally in Mexico, and the duo are now well poised to challenge over the next four days.
Despite starting in 38th place following the Prologue, victory on the day in his Toyota ensured Al Attiyah again extended his championship advantage over Saudi Arabia‘s Yazeed Al Rajhi, who recorded the second-fastest time on the stage.
Orly Terranova, runner-up in Morocco 12 months ago, was sixth quickest in his BRX Prodrive Hunter alongside new Argentine co-driver Bernardo Graue.
Loeb had been far from happy with his eventual 12th place finish on the previous day’s Prologue, but the Frenchman had needed the 19km opener to reacquaint himself with the Hunter and the unique demands of desert driving.
He made a flying start today, was fastest to the 43km and 105km points, and is happy to be back behind the wheel of the BRX Prodrive Hunter.
Going into tomorrow’s second of five desert stages just 3 min 38 secs off the lead and within 53 secs of second place, the French star will be hoping to add to his W2RC victory in the Hunter in Andalucia last October.
The rally’s opening stage, the longest, included almost 400km of road passage. The timed section featured rocky tracks, dirt trails, and a 10km run through the Erg Chigaga dunes, where soft sand, stifling heat and navigational challenges combined to provide a stern test for cars and competitors.
For all the latest automotive news, reports, and reviews, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Instagram, which is updated daily.
Customised programs leverage the best of Autoscommunity.com. Please contact our sales team today and see what our team can do for your custom advertising solutions.
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the automotive-related news we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks.
Hyundai Motor celebrated the official launch of the NorCAL ZERO Project. This major initiative utilizes…
McLaren Automotive recently unveiled the new Artura Spider for the first time in the Middle…
The inception of urban air mobility (UAM) dates back to 2016 when Uber introduced its…
Drivers have been urged to ensure their seat, headrest, and steering wheel are in the…
Motorists have been warned they could be slapped with a £2500 fine and driving disqualification…
Heating, plumbing, and air movement materials supplier TG Lynes has become one of the first…