Teamwork has been much in evidence for The Dacia Sandriders as the Dakar Rally continued today (Wednesday) with the first of two marathon stages.
Despite the incredible determination and huge team effort following Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin’s roll on Stage 3, a Decision of the Stewards in response to a deformation of the safety cage, sustained in the accident, resulted in the #219 Dacia Sandrider going no further than the bivouac in Al Henakiyah last night.
But while Loeb and Lurquin’s Dakar Rally adventure for 2025 is over, their team-mates Nasser Al-Attiyah/Édouard Boulanger and Cristina Gutiérrez/Pablo Moreno have been giving their all for The Dacia Sandriders, which is contesting Saudi Arabia’s round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship for the first time.
Starting Stage 4 in second position, Al-Attiyah and Boulanger were full of optimism for the day ahead. However, they were forced to stop after 97 kilometres to change a damaged left-rear tyre. A further stoppage following 118 kilometres of challenging terrain proved more extensive with the pair stationary for 26 minutes due to a technical issue. It required the assistance of Gutiérrez and Moreno for them to continue, albeit 48 minutes down on the leaders at that point.
Philip Dunabin, technical director of The Dacia Sandriders, explained: « Part of the way into the stage he’s had what appears to be a failure of the outer ball joint on the lower wishbone at the rear. This is the part that holds the bottom arm to the upright assembly. That’s a part we have no history of failures, but Cristina, fortunately, in her role of backing up Nasser, she had some extra parts in her car, they are parts we don’t normally carry, but in this instance we had the right parts, so once Cristina arrived, Cristina, Nasser, Pablo and Édouard were able to put the car back together and continue in the stage. »
Following their own issues on Stage 2, which resulted in the Spaniards being unable to complete the competitive route due to a powersteering problem, Gutiérrez and Moreno spent the remainder of Stage 4 shadowing Al-Attiyah and Boulanger. This was done in the event of their team-mates requiring further assistance as they attempted to make up lost time. To underline the performance of the Dacia Sandrider, Qatari driver Al-Attiyah was able to reduce the deficit to the stage pacesetter by 12 minutes.
The support from Gutiérrez and Moreno has been crucial for Al-Attiyah and Boulanger due to the marathon stage rules. They prevent the use of support vehicles, team/support members or outside assistance, meaning only competitors are authorised to work on their vehicles, although assistance between competitors still in the race is also allowed. Indeed, all support vehicles are on route to Ha’il ahead of the rest day on Friday.
LOEB REVEALS FRUSTRATION FOLLOWING EARLY DAKAR RALLY EXIT
Sébastien Loeb has spoken of his frustration following his early exit from the Dakar Rally, which he was bidding to win for the first time.
The Frenchman had run as high as second place in the sustainably-fuelled Dacia Sandrider he shares with Belgian navigator Fabian Lurquin, only for an accident on Stage 3 to wreck their hopes of success in Saudi Arabia.
He said: « It’s really frustrating to head back to Jeddah to fly home instead of being in the car fighting out on the stages, especially when you see what’s been happening today – there was still so much to play for. With 1h15 behind the leaders, nothing was lost yet. Sure, we would have started way back, but there were opportunities to grab. Unfortunately, that’s how it goes.
« As for our rollover, I’m honestly at a bit of a loss for words. It wasn’t from pushing too hard; we just got caught out by a bad compression, simple as that. There wasn’t much we could do in the moment. These things happen, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating.
« And then, the decision from the Stewards yesterday, honestly, it’s hard to swallow. I find it frustrating and disappointing because, in my opinion, it’s not based on solid arguments. Of course, safety is super-important, I get that. But the line they’ve drawn here doesn’t feel suited to our discipline, where we race in extreme conditions. Our team provided evidence to prove the roll cage was still solid, and I trust them completely. Even visually, you can see the safety wasn’t compromised. So, it’s tough to accept. »
DAKAR RALLY PROVISIONAL STAGE 4 RESULTS
Al Henakiyah-AlUla
Stage distance: 415km Liaison distance: 173km Total distance: 588km
13th: Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), +20m02s
19th: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), +33m27s
DAKAR RALLY PROVISIONAL OVERALL RESULTS AFTER STAGE 4
7th: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), +35m53s
46th: Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), +37h14m59s
DAKAR RALLY: THE BIG NUMBER
12: In their determination to make up for lost time, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Édouard went from being 45 minutes behind the stage pacesetters after 151 kilometres to completing the 415-kilometre stage 33 minutes adrift, having made up almost 12 minutes.