Sébastien Loeb and navigator Édouard Boulanger were the top performers for The Dacia Sandriders as Rally-Raid Portugal – round two of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship – got under way today (Wednesday).
The Frenchmen completed the challenging 180-kilometre timed loop around Grândola, in the west of the country, with the third fastest time in their sustainable-fuelled Dacia Sandrider.
Having battled through mud and rain, they are just 28 seconds adrift of first place in their pursuit of victory with four stages remaining.
Loeb/Boulanger had been seventh earlier in the day but made their move later in the run to snatch third by the 146-kilometre mark, a position they maintained to the completion of the two-part stage, which finished with a three-kilometre section close to the bivouac in Grândola.
Lucas Moraes and navigator Dennis Zenz hold sixth for The Dacia Sandriders following Stage 1 with team-mates Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin in eighth after a one-minute penalty was added to their total time for over-speeding in a controlled zone.
Brazilian Moraes claimed victory on last year’s Rally-Raid Portugal on route to winning the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). He held the Stage 1 lead after 48 kilometres but had dropped back by the next check point due to damage to his Dacia Sandrider’s steering caused by inadvertently running over a fence in his efforts to extend his margin over the chasing pack.
By leading the W2RC points standings following their hugely impressive victory on the seasonopening Dakar Rally in January, Al-ttiyah/Lurquin opened the road on Stage 1 under new regulations for 2026. It meant they were the first crew to be challenged on today’s route, which consisted of sections in forests, sandy and hard surfaces, narrow sections and river crossings.
Despite the additional challenge of starting first, they remain firmly in contention for another strong W2RC result.
KEY QUOTES
NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (QATAR), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « Today was not easy. We open the road, and we know we lose the time, but we don’t lose too much time, except one mistake with a one-minute penalty. Today we have been clever, it was a lot of rain, but we tried to do our best for tomorrow when it can be a good road position. »
SÉBASTIEN LOEB (FRANCE), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « It was a good day overall for us. The stage was really tricky with a lot of mud and a lot of grip changing, so it was not so easy to manage and stay on the road. We saw a lot of cars making mistakes but, finally, we had a good run, no problem and we are third overall at the moment. It’s only the first stage but, okay, I wanted to finish this first day and it’s done. »
LUCAS MORAES (BRAZIL), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « The stage was nice. We managed to be leading until halfway, then I made a mistake that bent the steering a little bit after I went over a fence. Then I kind of lost a little confidence and tried to manage to bring the car home. I finished sixth, which is a good road position for tomorrow and I’m happy. »
FABIAN LURQUIN (BELGIUM), NAVIGATOR, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « It was a tough first day with a lot of rain and a lot of mud out there. First on the road as well, so not easy. A lot of difference in grip so it was more of an opportunity for Nasser to show his skills, which he did once again. No mistakes, we have one penalty for over-speeding, but we make a good day and a strong start for the team. »
RALLY-RAID PORTUGAL STAGE 1 RESULTS – Grândola (Portugal)-Grândola (Portugal)
Stage distance: 180.42km Liaison distance: 44.05km Total distance: 224.47km
3. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), 1h34m26s
6. Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Dennis Zenz (GER), 1h35m44s
8. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), 1h37m12s
RALLY-RAID PORTUGAL: THE BIG NUMBER
3: Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger finished third on last year’s Rally-Raid Portugal, their first event together. With Stage 1 of this year’s event complete, the Frenchmen complete the provisional podium for The Dacia Sandriders.
THE DAY AHEAD: STAGE 2, MARCH 19
From the bivouac in Grândola, Rally-Raid Portugal heads east to Badajoz in Spain’s Extremadura region for Stage 2, the longest of the event in terms of the timed and total distance. While Badajoz will be familiar to the W2RC contenders, the route marks unchartered territory. It has been described by organisers as very technical, winding through trees with ruts and water-filled depressions. Once across the border in Spain, the terrain becomes more rugged and narrow.
Stage distance: 377km Liaison distance: 170km Total distance: 547km
Linda Hirvonen,