Al-Attiyah Makes It Hat-Trick Of W2RC Titles After Victory In Morocco

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar's Nasser al-Attiyah starred in the Moroccan desert, driving his new team Dacia Sandrider to a glorious debut at the Rally of Morocco Friday.
His seventh triumph at the Rallye du Maroc also secured al-Attiyah his third consecutive FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) title, with wins at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and Rally Raid Portugal making up for his non-finish on this year's Dakar.
In the final stage in Morocco Friday, al-Attiyah finished eighth behind stage winner Sebastien Loeb but that was enough for him to seal the rally and world title. In the championship table, he tallied 202 points, 42 ahead of his closest rival Yazeed al-Rajhi of Saudi Arabia. Al-Attiyah's navigator Edouard Boulanger also won his first co-driver world title ahead of Timo Gottschalk (Overdrive Racing) and Armand Monleon (Toyota Gazoo Racing).
Al-Attiyah said:“The victory and a third world title for the first race with Dacia, we couldn't have dreamed of better. The season wasn't necessarily easy after our retirement from the Dakar. We corrected the situation well and I'm really happy about that. We will continue the development of the Sandrider to arrive at the Dakar in top shape."
Always a master of bold decisions, al-Attiyah switched vehicles at the end of the season and with this risky move he wrote another successful chapter in his career. The Qatari driver flew to an impressive victory, with the Sandrider proving to be a machine up to the challenge, which bodes well for the upcoming Dakar Rally.
Al-Attiyah won the shortened opening stage of five of Monday and never looked back, the Qatari star not encountering a single mechanical fault or puncture on his way to victory.
Al-Attiyah's talent was tested to the full in Morocco, with Guillaume de Mevius, showing strength in taking the helm of the X-Raid Mini JCW. Both teams made Toyota race to keep up the pace, with al- Rajhi securing a respectable third place in the rally.
The Saudi driver also took second place in the W2RC championship for the second time, with Lucas Moraes completing the podium. Despite not winning, Toyota Gazoo Racing secured the constructors' title.
The 2025 season will get off the ground at the Dakar in Saudi from January 3 to 17, followed by the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge from February 21 to 27. Next, the championship will make its first foray into the South African Safari Rally from May 18 to 24 before heading to Europe for the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal from September 22 to 28. Last but not least, the caravan will double back to Africa for the finale at the Rallye du Maroc, scheduled for October 10 to 17.
Rally du Maroc – final result (top 10):
1. Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (QAT)/Edouard Boulanger (FRA) Dacia Sandrider 14hr 26min 34sec
2. Sebastien Loeb (FRA)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL) Dacia Sandrider 14hr 31min 44sec
3. Guillaume de Mévius (BEL)/Mathieu Baumel (FRA) Mini JCW Rally 3.0D 14hr 40min 19sec
4. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Timo Gottschalk (DEU) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 14hr 50min 04sec
5. Seth Quintero (USA)/Dennis Zenz (DEU) Toyota GR DKR Hilux 14hr 56min 05sec
6. Martin Prokop (CZE)/Viktor Chytka (CZE) Ford Raptor RS 15hr 13min 50sec
7. Eryk Goczal (POL)/Alex Haro (ESP) Taurus T3 Max 15hr 14min 11sec
8. Denis Krotov (KGZ)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (ANA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 15hr 21min 19sec
9. Marek Goczal (POL)/Maciej Marton (POL) Taurus T3 Max 15hr 24min 02sec
10. Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG)/Daniel Oliveras (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 15hr 24min 57sec

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