The Rally-Raid Portugal was an exhilarating experience for the Dacia Sandriders, featuring two impressive stage victories and a podium finish for Sébastien Loeb and navigator Édourd Boulanger. Over five days of fierce competition, Nasser Al-Attiyah and his navigator Fabian Lurquin finished strongly, moving from seventh to fifth overall and securing vital points in his quest for a consecutive FIA World Rally-Raid Championship title.
Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno demonstrated resilience, finishing seventh after overcoming a tyre issue, marking their return to competition since the Dakar Rally. Loeb’s success, his second in the W2RC, highlighted an excellent debut with Boulanger, who had switched from working with Al-Attiyah to enhance the team’s competitiveness.
Despite facing obstacles such as time penalties and mechanical issues, Al-Attiyah stayed at the top of the standings with merely a nine-point lead. Stage 5 offered exciting action around Lisbon, with Al-Attiyah and Lurquin initially vying for the stage win but ultimately finishing just short. Loeb and Boulanger took third overall, while Gutiérrez and Moreno showed determination to keep a strong presence.
Team principal Tiphanie Isnard expressed pride in the team’s performance, emphasising the importance of teamwork and resilience. The Dacia Sandriders have set the stage for exciting future races!
- You can visit the Dacia website for more news and vehicle range information here: http://www.dacia.co.uk/
