The Dacia Sandriders is a two-time winner in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship after Nasser Al-Attiyah and Édouard Boulanger claimed a hugely impressive Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge victory during a thrilling final stage.
With a slender lead of 41 seconds starting the deciding 167 timed kilometres today (Thursday), Al-Attiyah and Boulanger had to be at their brilliant best to remain in front. With their sustainable-fuelled Dacia Sandrider performing faultlessly across the challenging sand and dunes between Mezeer’ah and the finish in Abu Dhabi city, Al-Attiyah/Boulanger charged to their second fastest stage time of the event to take the win by 2m28s.
As well as marking the second victory for The Dacia Sandriders in the FIA World Rally Championship (W2RC) following its debut triumph on Rallye du Maroc last October, it was Al-Attiyah’s fifth Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge first-place finish and a third for navigator Boulanger.
The result elevates Qatari Al-Attiyah to first place in the provisional W2RC Drivers’ ranking with Frenchman Boulanger on top of the Navigators’ points after two rounds. The Dacia Sandriders moves into second place in the Manufacturers’ standings.
Today’s stage victory was the third of the five-day Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge for The Dacia Sandriders, which also celebrated a fastest time from Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin on Stage 2.
But having led overall and appearing to be set for a podium finish, Loeb, from France, and Belgian Lurquin were forced to retire due to damage sustained when they rolled 41 kilometres from the start of Stage 4 on Wednesday, Loeb’s 51st birthday.
Loeb/Lurquin had hoped to restart on the final day of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, but an inspection by the FIA technical team late last night determined the roll cage in their Dacia Sandrider was damaged, ruling them out on safety grounds.
After going second fastest on Stage 1 and quickest of all on Stage 2 to hold the provisional lead with two days completed, their early exit from Stage 4 represented poor reward for their excellent endeavour.
“I’m really proud of what Nasser and Édouard have done because they had to push until the very end,” said Tiphanie Isnard, team principal of The Dacia Sandriders. “They did a strong race and never had a doubt about the team. We’ve had some tough days between Dakar and Abu Dhabi to be ready and be on battle again so it’s a big thanks to the team. We’re really happy with the result and we’re now leading the championship for the driver and navigator and provisionally we have taken second place in the Manufacturers’ championship so it’s definitely great.”
NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (QATAR), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS
“It’s a really good feeling and I’m very happy to win the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. It was a big push from us this week and thanks to The Dacia Sandriders. We were coming here to win the race and lead the championship to make it easier for the next race. We have a really good car and the team is very strong. We feel sorry for Seb for what happened yesterday, but this is the situation and I am really happy to win this race for The Dacia Sandriders and all partners and people who are supporting us. The speed was very high from every competitor, we respect everyone, but we did a very good job over the last few days.”
ÉDOUARD BOULANGER (FRANCE), NAVIGATOR, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS
“The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is always a special race for us. It was a tough battle until the last kilometres and we were not managing any lead. It was intense but we’re really happy to complete on a positive note for The Dacia Sandriders and for us. After the Dakar we needed this result to get back a bit of confidence. For sure the intensity of the battle with Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleón was really tough and it will be really tough for the next races so we cannot expect to dominate the season. Still, we are here and on top of the podium. It’s five victories for Nasser and three for me in Abu Dhabi so it’s really nice.”
THE DACIA SANDRIDERS: ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE KEY MOMENTS
Stage 1 (Sunday February 23): Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin go second fastest from 14th on the road during the opening 243 kilometres from Al Ain to Mezeer’ah. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Édouard Boulanger, starting two places further back, build on their quickest Prologue Stage time and lead after 120 kilometres. But an enforced wheel change following tyre damage drops them to fourth, 2m16s from first.
Stage 2 (Monday February 24): The Dacia Sandriders leads the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge after Loeb/Lurquin complete the 228-kilometre Mezeer’ah loop stage with the fastest time, their first in this season’s W2RC and Loeb’s 21st in total. Despite being hampered by a cracked spring, Al-Attiyah/Boulanger are second quickest and climb from fourth to third in the overall classification.
Stage 3 (Tuesday February 25): In fightback mode after they are handed a one-minute time penalty for a false start on Stage 2, Al-Attiyah/Boulanger reach the Marathon Camp – where they will bed down overnight – leading outright after they set the fastest time. Hampered by opening the 237-kilometre wind-affected stage, Loeb/Lurquin are fifth quickest. But the addition of a two-minute time penalty for exceeding the speed in a limited speed zone leaves them 2m46s adrift of the lead.
Stage 4 (Wednesday February 26): Al-Attiyah/Boulanger make light work of running at the head of the field through the 300 timed kilometres from Marathon Camp to Mezeer’ah to go third quickest for a lead of 41 seconds starting the final stage. Loeb/Lurquin are fastest after 41 kilometres but miss a waypoint by 10 metres and roll as they try to recover, forcing their retirement from the day. When an inspection by the FIA technical team determines damage to their Dacia Sandrider’s roll cage, Loeb/Lurquin are declared non-starters for Stage 5.
Stage 5 (Thursday February 27): Essentially needing to beat their closest rivals through the deciding 167 timed kilometres from Mezeer’ah to Abu Dhabi to secure victory, Al-Attiyah/Boulanger delivered in style for The Dacia Sandriders with their second fastest stage time of the event.
Source: Dacia
