Lucas Moraes and Pablo Moreno lead Rallye du Maroc for The Dacia Sandriders following a second stage of differing fortune for the team.
After Moraes and Moreno came within three seconds of winning the opening stage of Rallye du Maroc on Tuesday – their first time competing together – a charging performance from Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin looked set to secure their team-mates the Stage 2 win and the
overall lead in North Africa today (Wednesday).
Having led by 1m29s after 243 kilometres of the 299-kilometre stage, Al-Attiyah and Lurquin were on course to post the fastest time and move up from eighth to first place on the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.
But a broken gearbox input shaft in the final nine kilometres of the stage denied The Dacia Sandriders what looked set to be a 23rd stage win in the W2RC.
Al-Attiyah/Lurquin were able to reach the stage finish after team-mates Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger stopped to provide assistance, but they are now more than 45 minutes off the lead.
However, while there was frustration for Al-Attiyah/Lurquin, particularly after they had made the most of their eighth-placed starting position, there was elation for Moraes/Moreno, who lead Rallye du Maroc by 28 seconds with three days left.
After a corrected time for a rival crew left Moraes/Moreno second in yesterday’s Stage 1 ranking rather than first, they set out this morning determined to take advantage of not having to open the road through today’s stage, the first of four starting and finishing in Zagora.
But when the overnight leaders were delayed, Moraes/Moreno found themselves in front before the 45-kilometre checkpoint and spent the remainder of the stage at the head of the order.
Although they were unable to avoid dropping time to their rivals as a result – tyre damage in the final 20 kilometres not helping their cause – their impressive performance meant they looked set to maintain second place in the overall ranking. That was until Al-Attiyah/Lurquin’s late delay due to a broken gearbox input shaft promoted them into the overall lead when they set Stage 2’s fourth fastest time.
Leading Al-Attiyah/Lurquin in the W2RC title standings by three points prior to the start, Loeb/Boulanger dropped out of contention for back-to-back Rallye du Maroc victories when they stopped 70 kilometres from the finish of Stage 1 with an electrical failure and had to be towed to the bivouac in Zagora.
They restarted this morning intent on pushing for stage points but were delayed in dust thrown up by drivers running ahead of them at a slower pace, tyre damage and a navigational issue.
Although it proved to be a challenging day for Loeb/Boulanger, they put their issues to one side and demonstrated tremendous team spirit by stopping to tow their stricken team-mates and title rivals to the finish.
Rallye du Maroc continues tomorrow (Thursday) with a 364-kilometre stage starting and finishing in Zagora.
KEY QUOTES
NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (QATAR), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « I think something broke between the clutch and the gearbox and then the car completely stopped and doesn’t want to run. It was not easy, but we tried to wait a little bit and take time for Seb to come and help us. Okay, we still have three days, so we try to do our best for the championship. »
SÉBASTIEN LOEB (FRANCE), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « For us it was a tough stage because we were starting in the dust behind some slower cars. I made the job to overtake three of them and then we had a puncture. Then they re-passed, and I had to pass them again and we lose all the time in the dust. Then we get lost in a tricky place and lost something like seven minutes. Then I catch the same guys again and had to pass them again. Then at the end we helped Nasser who was standing on the stage. We towed him to the end and towing a car is not done at the same speed. But we are here, not a good day, but not as bad as yesterday so it’s going better and better. »
LUCAS MORAES (BRAZIL), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « It was a great day to be honest. We basically opened the whole stage because I think João [Ferreira] had an issue with a tyre, like two punctures in a row. We pass and we had 250 kilometres left, so it was a proper job, especially for Pablo to open and manage the route and make sure we were on the right path. Sometimes it was a little bit tricky but, overall, we did a good job and I’m proud of what we accomplished so far. We are leading overall and tomorrow we’re starting in fourth, a good road position, so let’s keep pushing. »
PABLO MORENO (SPAIN), NAVIGATOR, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « Yesterday we lost the first position and the stage win medal by three seconds. Today we start second, but after 27 kilometres we caught João Ferreira and we were opening all day. We found the way points quickly and I’m really happy to be here at the finish. We lost a little time with a puncture 20 kilometres before the finish but, at the moment, we are leading the race and we will see for tomorrow. We try to push to win the stage because I want to win one stage together with Lucas. »
RALLYE DU MAROC STAGE 2 RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL) – Zagora-Zagora
Stage distance: 299km Liaison distance: 123km Total distance: 423km
4. Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), 3h33m20s
18. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), 3h44m09s
35. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), 4h14m10s
RALLYE DU MAROC ULTIMATE CATEGORY OVERALL RESULTS AFTER STAGE 2 (UNOFFICIAL)
1. Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), 6h11m41s
24. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), +44m48s
43. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), +20h32m28s
RALLYE DU MAROC: THE BIG NUMBER
1: Lucas Moraes and new navigator Pablo Moreno are leading a round of the FIA World Rally- Raid Championship for The Dacia Sandriders for the first time following their Stage 2 heroics.
THE DAY AHEAD: STAGE 3, OCTOBER 1
The highest average speeds of the event will be a key feature of Stage 3 during the run from Zagora to the sand dunes of Merzouga and back again. With the motorcycle competitors tackling an alternative route, the leading cars will have no tracks to follow, placing the onus on perfect navigation.
Stage distance: 360km Liaison distance: 228km Total distance: 588km
Linda Hirvonen,