The Dacia Sandriders driver leads the general classification at the halfway point of the rally raid. Teammates Loeb, Moraes and Gutierrez follow
There is a festive atmosphere at the Dacia Sandriders bivouac in Riyadh. The cars are polished. Drivers, teams and mechanics wear immaculate uniforms. The four standard bearers are available to the press. Tiphanie Iznard smiles: the four Dacias overcame the pitfalls of the first week of the race. Nasser Al-Attiyah is the overall leader, Sebastien Loeb sixth at +17’36” from leader Lucas Moraes, tenth at +26’46”, and Cristina Gutierrez 13th at 33’45. Having reached the halfway point, it’s time to take stock.
the prince
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The prince of the dunes, who grew up on these types of terrain, so much so that he feels at home in all conditions, does not hide his satisfaction. “Experience helps. Compared to the last time I won in 2023 I am a different person: calmer, clearer, focused” confesses Nasser. “I only sweated on stage 6, the dunes-only stage where we attacked to recover on Lategan and win.” But never let your guard down. “We must continue like this. The second week is decisive and we are fighting against very respectable rivals. The Fords are very strong and then Henk Lategan on Toyota should not be underestimated.”
loeb
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“It wasn’t a perfect week”, comments Loeb, “The race started uphill with many punctures which affected our position in the standings. There were special stages, especially the first ones, in which we traveled kilometers and kilometers without spare tyres, because we had used them all. We raced with bated breath and extra attention because another puncture and we would have been out. In the sand special we finally attacked even though Nasser makes the difference on the dunes”. Satisfied? “I’m happy. We’re still fighting for the title and that’s what matters. The second week we’ll have to try to make as few mistakes as possible. We can’t always attack, we need to manage, know when to go a little slower, because the slightest mistake can cost us minutes.”
moraes
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Making his debut on a Dacia, the new rally raid world champion Lucas Moraes preferred to study the car before attacking. “We started more conservatively because everything was new for us: team, car, the team. It was important to test the limits and understand the Sandriders’ behavior in various situations. I’m happy, I’m also learning a lot from Nasser and Loeb. The comparison stimulates me, now the time has come to attack”, comments the Brazilian Moraes.
gutierrez
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Cristina Gutierrez completes the lineup. Unlike the three strikers, his role is slightly different. The Spanish rider brings additional spare parts to support her teammates in case of need on the special. “It’s true that we carry extra parts, but we’re competing like the others and at the moment there are no team orders so we’re all free to race”, he confesses with satisfaction. Mission accomplished, then. But only partially. Now the goal is to continue like this. The verdict will only arrive in Yanbu on January 17.
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