Lucas Moraes and navigator Dennis Zenz have banked their first FIA World Rally-Raid Championship stage win for The Dacia Sandriders on a fast-paced Friday when Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger extended their Rally-Raid Portugal lead by completing a team 1-2.
Chasing win number two in Portugal, reigning world champion Moraes made the most of the performance of his sustainable-fuelled Dacia Sandrider to claim victory on the 296-kilometre loop stage around Badajoz in Spain and move into third position overall, 1m34s from top spot.
The result means that The Dacia Sandriders has now celebrated 20 stage wins since it made its FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) debut in October 2024 after Loeb/Boulanger took stage win number 19 on Thursday’s second stage.
From being 40 seconds in front when the five-day Rally-Raid Portugal reached the bivouac in Badajoz yesterday evening, Loeb/Boulanger now head round two of the W2RC season with an advantage of 1m27s after they went second quickest to team-mates Moraes/Zenz.
They could have been even further ahead had they not been forced to change a damaged tyre during the stage. Loeb also reported easing his pace in response to the changeable weather conditions later in the run.
While it was a day of satisfaction for Moraes/Zenz and Loeb/Boulanger, there was disappointment for 2026 Dakar Rally winners Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin after they were forced to retire their Dacia Sandrider with a technical issue. A full investigation into the
cause is being carried out by The Dacia Sandriders’ expert engineers, although Al-Attiyah/Lurquin will return to the action on Saturday’s penultimate stage.
Moraes/Zenz were rapid but out of luck on the opening two days in Portugal, bending their Dacia Sandrider’s steering running over a fence on Wednesday before clipping a tree on Thursday.
Moraes said on Thursday evening that he just needed ‘to put a day together’ in order to claim a stage victory, which he did in fine fashion today.
Starting fourth on the road, Moraes/Zenz remained within 49s of the lead before their late-stage push ensured the stage win by a margin of 1m46s over Loeb/Boulanger, the first 1-2 finish for The Dacia Sandriders since Stage 6 of January’s Dakar Rally.
For Loeb/Boulanger, going second quickest and extending their lead marked a hugely impressive showing from the Frenchmen, who faced the unenviable task of opening the road following their stage win on Thursday, Loeb’s 24th W2RC fastest stage time.
Friday’s third stage of Rally-Raid Portugal was billed as the fastest of the W2RC event. Based entirely in Spain with the action starting and finishing in Badajoz, the location of the second of three bivouacs along the route, the stage, which covered 296 kilometres against the clock, was described by organisers as being similar in terrain and challenge compared to 2025.
KEY QUOTES
SÉBASTIEN LOEB (FRANCE), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « It was a good day, we were trying to push hard, but being first on the road doesn’t help, I had no lines to follow. But still the rhythm was correct. Towards the end I had a puncture on the same stone as last year, I didn’t see it last year and I didn’t see it this year, it was on a straight line in the line and immediate puncture. I changed it on the same place as last year so we lost a few minutes there. For the rest it was a good stage, tricky towards the end, sometimes wet, sometimes dry, then it was raining again, so the condition was changing all the time and it was important to adapt the rhythm. But the Dacia Sandrider was really good so no problem. I keep the lead at the moment but the gap is quite small. We saw today Seth Quintero was going very fast in the first part of the stage so everything is possible. But we are in a good situation for the moment and we try to continue like that. »
LUCAS MORAES (BRAZIL), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « Finally the first win with The Dacia Sandriders. I’m really happy. A 1-2 with these legends, Seb and Édouard. I’m really proud of the team to deliver an amazing car to drive. To be honest it took a bit more time than I wanted for this first win, but we are talking about the best drivers in the world and I’m really happy to win this one and to be part of this for sure. The day actually started quite well for us, we saw some mistakes from the guys in front, so we tried to be more smooth and clever. In the last 50km it was so muddy and the rain was heavy, so it was easy to make a mistake. But we kept clean and the first stage win is really nice. There are two more days left and it’s quite wide open now. I’m happy to be back in the fight on a race that I really love. »
DENNIS ZENZ (GERMANY), NAVIGATOR, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « It feels amazing, the first stage win with The Dacia Sandriders. I cannot feel it right now because I’m tired, it was a very demanding stage, super-tricky, a lot of grip changes, a lot of tricky things for us navigators. But it’s a 1-2 for the team, our first with the team. I’m superhappy, Lucas did an amazing job, we worked hard for this. Now we need to keep pushing. Another two days and the goal is clear. »
RALLY-RAID PORTUGAL STAGE 3 RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL) – Badajoz (Spain)-Badajoz (Spain)
Stage distance: 296km Liaison distance: 203km Total distance: 499km
1. Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Dennis Zenz (GER), 2h46m25s
2. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), 2h48m11s
DNF Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL)
RALLY-RAID PORTUGAL PROVISIONAL ULTIMATE CATEGORY OVERALL RESULTS AFTER STAGE 3 (UNOFFICIAL)
1. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), 7h10m24s
3. Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Dennis Zenz (GER), +1m34s
RALLY-RAID PORTUGAL: THE BIG NUMBER
20: The Dacia Sandriders is a 20-time stage winner in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship following Lucas Moraes and Dennis Zenz’s fastest time today (Friday).
THE DAY AHEAD: STAGE 4, MARCH 21
The route back to Portugal at the start of fourth day mirrors the 2025 edition in parts although the further south towards Loulé the event heads, the more it will become less familiar with a mission of discovery very much expected.
Stage distance: 310km Liaison distance: 210km Total distance: 520km
Linda Hirvonen,