The Dacia Sandriders rounded out its Rallye du Maroc challenge with a podium finish on the fifth and final stage of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship counter to ensure that it will head to next month’s season decider on top of the Manufacturers’ standings.
Lucas Moraes and Pablo Moreno were third fastest through the event-closing Stage 5 in their sustainable-fuelled Dacia Sandrider to underline a highly encouraging performance from the new pairing.
After going second fastest on Stage 1 by three seconds, they moved into the lead of the event with the fourth fastest time on Stage 2. Unfortunately, an accident in the final 15 kilometres of Stage 3 dropped them out of the contention and ended hopes of a third consecutive Rallye du Maroc victory for The Dacia Sandriders.
Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin completed Stage 5 with the fifth quickest time after a transmission issue on Stage 2 had ruled out their chances of a strong result.
Having endured several setbacks on the penultimate round of the W2RC season, which they started in the lead of both the Drivers’ and Navigators’ championships, there was more heartbreak for Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger on Stage 5.
After winning Stage 3, they were in contention for adding the Stage 5 victory to their tally, a further demonstration of the pace of the Dacia Sandrider. But one kilometre from the finish, a contact with a boulder damaged their car’s front-right suspension.
Despite making every effort to continue following stage-side repairs, they had to be towed to the finish to compound a frustrating week in North Africa for the French duo, which was marked by two time-consuming electrical issues, the cause of which The Dacia Sandriders is working flat out to rectify ahead of the championship finale.
Although Stage 5 was the event’s shortest, it led to more disappointment for The Dacia Sandriders, which nevertheless remains firmly in the fight for the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship for Manufacturers, Drivers, Navigators with one round remaining.
KEY QUOTES
TIPHANIE ISNARD, TEAM PRINCIPAL, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « It was a really tough rally and it seems that all that happens in our journey happened on this rally. It was really tricky and even more so because we Werwe leading every stage, which means the pace was there, but we lost everything in the last couple of kilometres, either through technical issues, mechanical issues or human issues. But it’s part of the rally-raid, it’s part of the adventure and we keep what we learn about that. It’s a wake-up call to concentrate to the end of the last finish line. To get the title we are still pushing, we are still dreaming and we will get it. »
NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (QATAR), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « The week was tough for The Dacia Sandriders but, okay, we bring three cars home and we did a good job today. It was not an easy race but still we have one race left in Abu Dhabi and we try to do our best. »
SÉBASTIEN LOEB (FRANCE), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « For sure we were fighting for the victory on the stage, but we struggled throughout the stage in the dust of another driver. Finally in the last kilometre, a very tricky place with a big drop in a river, I saw it, I went slow and went down but I just landed on a big stone and that broke the front wishbone. There was only one kilometre to go but the car was undrivable. We tried to go but it didn’t work so we decided to change the part but we didn’t have the spare so we couldn’t repair so we had a truck towing us to the end. »
LUCAS MORAES (BRAZIL), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « It was a very good last day for us, and I think we did a very good job. It was just a shame that we caught Mitch Guthrie and we couldn’t pass because of the dust. Overall, of course, on paper it wasn’t the result we wanted but we showed that we can be as fast as anyone, and we were leading the rally until the crash. I’m really happy I’m able to fight again on the top position and I’m looking forward to Abu Dhabi. »
RALLYE DU MAROC STAGE 5 RESULTS – Zagora-Zagora
Stage distance: 257.3km Liaison distance: 98.3km Total distance: 355.6km
3. Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), 3h19m43s
5. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), 3h20m26s
38. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), 4h31m01s
RALLYE DU MAROC ULTIMATE CATEGORY OVERALL RESULTS AFTER STAGE 5
16. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), +1h44m01s
31. Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), +14m02.47s
36. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), +21h39m19s
FIA WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP PROVISIONAL STANDINGS
Drivers after round 4 of 5: 1 Seth Quintero 134 points; 2 Sébastien Loeb 120; 3 Nasser Al-Attiyah 115; 4 João Ferreira 86; 5 Henk Lategan 85; 6 Nani Roma 77; etc.
Navigators after round 4 of 5: 1 Andrew Short 134 points; 2 Édouard Boulanger 120 points; 3 Fabian Lurquin 115; 4 Filipe Palmeiro 86; 5 Brett Cummings 85; 6 Alex Haro 77; etc.
Manufacturers after round 4 of 5: 1 The Dacia Sandriders 372 points; 2 Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC 326; 3 Ford Racing 232.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge forms the deciding round of the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship from November 22-27.
Linda Hirvonen,