Brazilian drivers with strong performance in the prologue, the mini-race against the clock that defined the starting positions in Abu Dhabi
After standing out at the Dakar Rally in January with victories in two stages, Brazilian Lucas Moraes is continuing his campaign in the World Rally Raid Championship. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, valid for the second stage of the competition, took place on Saturday (22) with the prologue, a race against the clock that defines the starting order. Together with Spanish navigator Armand Monleón, Moraes took second place behind Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar)/Edouard Boulanger (France), who drive a Dacia SandRider.
Saturday's prologue was just 11km long. Moraes and Monleón are competing in a Toyota GR DKR Hilux, the same car they used in the Dakar. The duo was also the crew that gave Toyota the best result in the prologue. They were just ahead of another SandRider, driven by Sebastien Loeb (France) and Fabian Lurquin (Belgium). Loeb is the greatest champion in the history of the World Speed Rally Championship, with nine titles, and has been seeking success in the World Rally Raid Championship for some years - the off-road version of which includes the Dakar and the Brazilian Rally dos Sertões.
Breathtaking - The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is in its 34th edition and is famous for offering the highest dunes in the World Championship, which includes the Dakar itself. Some are 300 meters high and have breathtaking descents. It's a characteristic that favors the region's competitors, such as Saturday's fastest driver, Nasser Al-Attiyah from Santa Catarina, as well as the reigning Dakar champion, Saudi Arabian Yazeed Al Rajhi, who is navigated by German Timo Gottschalk in a Toyota Overdrive. Al Rajhi and Gottschalk finished the prologue in ninth place. The race begins in earnest with a stage this Sunday, with 243km of timed driving, ending only next Thursday (27), after a total of 1,186km of timed driving (divided into five “specials”).
Automatic translation of the Brazilian Portugueseg version
Source: BestPR
Source: W2RC / ASO
