The Dacia Sandriders team made an impressive debut with a stunning one-two finish at the Rallye du Maroc after five tough days covering almost 2,500 kilometres of rugged terrain.
This race was meant to be a test for the new team and their sustainably-fuelled Dacia Sandriders vehicles, but it ended with a standout victory in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship. However, the real focus was on using this event to prepare for the next big challenge—the Dakar Rally in January, which is known as the toughest event in motorsport.
Leading from the start, Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Edouard Boulanger clinched the win, which crowned them the 2024 FIA World Rally-Raid champions. This victory marked Al-Attiyah’s third world title and his seventh Rallye du Maroc win.
On the longest stage of the rally, Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin also performed brilliantly, securing second place overall. After starting the final day in fourth, Loeb’s determined drive saw him finish second, completing a perfect 1-2 result for the team. Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno also showed resilience, battling back from earlier challenges to finish seventh in the final stage.
With three stage wins and a one-two finish, the Dacia Sandriders team proved their potential while gathering valuable data to refine their preparations for the Dakar Rally. But there’s still much to be done before heading to Saudi Arabia at the end of the year for the ultimate test.
Team principal Tiphanie Isnard said, “I’m incredibly proud of the team. It took a huge amount of effort to get three cars on the starting line, and to finish first and second is beyond our expectations. This was just a test for Dakar, but it shows we’re on the right track. There’s a lot of work ahead, but we’re motivated to push even harder.”
Al-Attiyah shared his excitement: “Winning Rallye du Maroc for the seventh time and being a three-time world champion feels amazing. To get this victory with Dacia for the first time is special. We’ve learned a lot, and this will help us prepare for Dakar.”
Loeb added: “It’s a fantastic result for the team. We had some challenges early on but pushed hard through the stages. The car performed brilliantly, and we’re feeling confident heading into Dakar.”
With a month of preparation left, the Dacia Sandriders are gearing up for their next big adventure in Saudi Arabia.
Rallye du Maroc Final Standings (Unofficial): 1st: Nasser Al-Attiyah / Edouard Boulanger – 14h26m34s
2nd: Sébastien Loeb / Fabian Lurquin – 14h31m44s
79th: Cristina Gutiérrez / Pablo Moreno – 35h48m40s
RALLYE DU MAROC: THE BIG NUMBER 1 and 2: The Dacia Sandriders completed an emphatic one-two finish on its first ever event with Nasser Al-Attiyah heading home team-mate Sébastien Loeb at the Rallye du Maroc.
