The Dacia Sandriders has begun its bid for a third consecutive Rallye du Maroc victory with Lucas Moraes and Pablo Moreno firmly in the hunt to win the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship after they went second fastest on Stage 1.
Moraes, who claimed the W2RC title in Morocco almost one year ago and is being partnered by navigator Moreno for the first time, completed the 271.7-kilometre opening stage from Agadir to Zagora in 2h38m21s following a fine drive aboard his sustainable-fuelled Dacia Sandrider.
Brazilian Moraes initially celebrated his third W2RC stage win for The Dacia Sandriders and his 11th in the headlining Ultimate category. But a timing adjustment for a rival competitor meant it was second place instead, albeit by a narrow margin of 0.3s.
While it was a strong start to the desert-based event for Moraes/Moreno, Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger will head into Wednesday’s loop stage around Zagora in catch-up mode after an electrical issue stopped them in their tracks following 202 kilometres of high-paced desert driving.
Although the French pair were eventually able to reach the overnight bivouac in Zagora following repairs, the time lost means their bid for back-to-back Rallye du Maroc victories is over almost before it began.
The world championship leaders with three rounds run, Loeb/Boulanger faced the tough task of opening the road today and had been powerless to avoid dropping time – they were 1m26s adrift at a time check after 64 kilometres – before they were forced to stop with less than 70 kilometres of the stage remaining.
Having given The Dacia Sandriders its debut W2RC victory on Rallye du Maroc in 2024, Nasser Al-Attiyah might not have enjoyed the same level of success as team-mate Moraes today, but the Qatari’s starting position of eighth for Stage 2 puts him in the driving seat to capitalise
alongside navigator Fabian Lurquin from Belgium.
Al-Attiyah/Lurquin arrived in North Africa three points behind Loeb/Lurquin in the provisional W2RC standings and are well placed to capitalise from their team-mates’ unfortunate delay.
Rallye du Maroc began from Agadir on the country’s Atlantic coast this morning bound for Zagora in the Tata region. Described by organisers as « a fast-paced stage with several hazards », approximately 10 per cent of the stage ran through dunes with sections in dry riverbeds adding
to the challenge.
The event continues tomorrow (Wednesday) with a 300-kilometre stage starting and finishing in Zagora.
KEY QUOTES
NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (QATAR), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « Stage 1 was really interesting because it was completely new. It was not easy to open the road but we did a really amazing job without any mistake, except for one point when we lose around three and a half or four minutes. But, okay, for tomorrow the road position will be better. »
SÉBASTIEN LOEB (FRANCE), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « There was some electrical failure. The car stopped in the dunes after 200 kilometres of the stage. There was not much we could do. The 48-volt battery was at zero so we tried to use the 12-volt battery to give some electricity in the other one so we could restart the car, but it doesn’t last long. We tried to escape the dunes. Finally, it was zero so I had no powersteering, no cooling of the engine, nothing, so we could only use some East parts to go back to a normal road and that’s what we’ve done. At the end it stopped completely on the road and that’s how it is. »
LUCAS MORAES (BRAZIL), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « It was great and I’m really happy for Pablo. But what a crazy stage. In the beginning we knew that we were going good because we saw Nani [Roma]. But he changed a puncture and started right in front of us, and we were like 100 kilometres in his dust. Then we finally managed to pass him on the dunes and gave a good push. I’m just happy for the team. Let’s keep building now. »
PABLO MORENO (SPAIN), NAVIGATOR, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « It was okay, we had a good feeling with Lucas and me and I’m really happy to be here with The Dacia Sandriders and with Lucas. We have good confidence inside the car. We will see for the future, but for the moment I’m really happy, we finished the stage and I’m really happy for Dacia, for the Sandriders and Lucas also. »
RALLYE DU MAROC STAGE 1 RESULTS – Agadir-Zagora
Stage distance: 271.7km Liaison distance: 367.7km Total distance: 639.4km
2. Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), 2h38m21s
8. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), 2h42m09s
52. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), 23h00m00s
RALLYE DU MAROC: THE BIG NUMBER
0.3s: Lucas Moraes and Pablo Moreno are just 0.3s off the lead of Rallye du Maroc after they finished a close second on the opening stage from Agadir to Zagora today.
THE DAY AHEAD: STAGE 2, SEPTEMBER 30
A trip through the Atlas Mountains provides the initial challenge before the route takes in ‘rocky terrain and then sand’, according to the organisers, who have labelled Stage 2 ‘the toughest’ of the penultimate round of the W2RC season. A pit stop during the stage provides an Opportunity to change tyres.
Stage distance: 299km Liaison distance: 123km Total distance: 423km
Linda Hirvonen,