Al-Attiyah and Dacia clinch first win of the season

Dacia didn’t have to wait long to celebrate a world victory. Just a month ago, only a few minutes separated Nasser Al-Attiyah from the podium. Just 100km away, the action resumed in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, second round of the FIA and FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship.

“Our target is to win, we’ve triumphed here four times; it would be great to do it with Dacia,” the ‘Prince of the Dunes’ declared at the start of the rally, founded by the current FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in 1991.

His dream came true one week later with the entire team at the finish line. The postcard to bring back home and show to the nephews one day is the one with Al-Attiyah and co-driver Edouard Boulanger celebrating on the hood of the Dacia Sandriders. Then came the embrace with Tiphanie Isnard, the team manager and trusted person of Bruno Famin, head of Motorsport at Alpine, and Philip Dunabin, the technical director, and all the mechanics and engineers.

The race was open till the end. Articulated in five stages and over 1920km, the final rush was extremely tense with just 41 seconds separating the Qatari driver from Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon in their Toyota Hilux from the Gazoo Racing team.

In the end, Al-Attiyah came out on top. “We attacked right from the start,” he said. “Winning the prologue was crucial as it allowed us to determine our starting position for Stage 1. But I believe it was the marathon stage that made the difference. We were able to build up a bit of a margin, and we used that to secure the victory. Even though we had to be on the attack mode also on the last stage , 167km of timed section from Mezeer’ah to Abu Dhabi.”

“I’m happy for the team, and I feel bad for Seb [Loeb], who was forced to retire on the fourth stage on his birthday.”

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is a rally that suits the ‘Prince of the Dunes’. “I really enjoy this rally,” he says. “The special stages are gruelling and require a lot of concentration because the dunes in this area are particularly unpredictable.”

Brazilian Moraes never stopped pushing, but in the end, he had to settle for second place, 2m28s behind the top spot on the podium. “We aimed higher, but I’m satisfied. We gave it our all,” he says, eyes glistening with emotion. “It was still a great fight with Nasser and an exciting show for all the rally fans. I’m thankful to the team for providing such a competitive car; they did an excellent job. The biggest lesson I take home is to never give up.”

American Seth Quintero, Toyota Gazoo Racing driver, completed the podium. Since his debut on the rally-raid scene he has shone, with the experience he has added navigation skills and changed his race approach: “I’ve learned to go slower and plan the race better,” he reflected. “I’m happy for the team: a second and a third place finish is a great result, and it’s valuable points for the championship.”

Having arrived as championship leader, Yazeed Al-Rajhi said from the beginning the intention was to do a smart race without taking too many risks as “on this terrain it is easier to lose than to gain”. He went with his pace but unfortunately on Day 5, the Toyota Overdrive driver stopped 13km into the special due to an engine problem and called upon his service crew, losing valuable points for the championship.

The fifth stage will be remembered also for the victory of Dania Akeel in the Challenger category. Akeel claimed her first win in W2RC, which also happens to be the first by a woman since the launch of the world championship in 2022.

The championship

Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandriders) is the new leader of the world championship, with 91 points to his name. The Dakar winner, Al-Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) is the best of the rest with 72 points, while Moraes and Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing) rocketed up the standings. The Brazilian moved onto the championship podium, with 59 points to the American’s 57.

With two finishers on the podium Toyota tightened its hold on the manufacturers’ championship, with 221 points versus 153 for Dacia and 137 for Ford M-Sport, which suffered from Mattias Ekstrom having to withdraw due to illness after Stage 2.

Daniel Sanders, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

In the bike category, KTM’s Sanders, the fastest beekeeper on the planet, did the double in Abu Dhabi, backing up his win across the border last month. Adrien Van Beveren slipped down a spot in the overall standings, overtaken by Ricky Brabec, who finished second in the ADDC.

“It’s a great satisfaction to win three time in a row, if we count also Morocco Rally. It wasn’t an easy race, but we approached it intelligently. The desert demands respect. It’s important to know when to push and when to slow down,” said Sanders. Winning the Dakar hasn’t turned his life upside down, and it’s curious to think that, when he takes off his helmet, Sanders sells apples and honey in the Victoria region of Australia. “The interviews have increased, but otherwise, I’m living the same life. My motivation is high, I have more confidence in myself, and I feel really good with the bike. It’s improved in every way.”

“The podium isn’t the position we hoped for, but I’m happy to finish the rally without any injuries,” Monster Energy Honda’s Brabec said having lost by 5m47s. “The format of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is special: Five days of sand and dunes where it’s easy to lose your way when opening up the tracks. KTM seemed to have something extra in terms of strategy. The terrain was very tricky, so it was crucial to know when to attack and when to slow down. We gave it our best, and now we’ll go back to training for the third round in South Africa.”

Third place went to team-mate Tosha Schareina, 6m04s behind. The Valencian rider and friend of MotoGP star Marc Marquez commented: “In Spain, we don’t have terrain like this; the desert is out of my comfort zone, but race after race, I feel more and more at home. This was my first time competing in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, so I can say I’m happy even though we were aiming for the win.”

With the withdrawal of the defending champion, Ross Branch, due to a mechanical issue, Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo kept Hero Motorsports’ flag flying high as he finished in sixth. “This race stands out from others in the championship because the stages are almost entirely sand and dunes. The specials are very demanding, and this year, we also had the marathon stage. I really like the format.”