Rally Raid
Sébastien Loeb battles in Abu Dhabi to extend World Championship lead
Hot on the heels of the Dakar, the second round of the World Rally-Raid Championship saw plenty of twists and turns on the dunes of the Liwa Desert.
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A roller coaster of a race at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has wrapped up after 1,311km over the dunes. There was plenty of pulsating action across all categories of the World Rally-Raid Championship during all five desert stages. Let’s look at who’s on top after two rounds of the series...
01
Sébastien Loeb dusts himself down on the dunes
The week got progressively better in the car race for nine-time WRC winner Sébastien Loeb after a tricky start. The Frenchman and his co-driver, Fabian Lurquin, were unable to finish Stage One due to mechanical issues and were forced to change their engine before rejoining the race the following day.
Time penalties took Loeb out of the hunt for the overall lead in Abu Dhabi, but he battled back for stage results in the remaining four stages behind the wheel of his BRX Prodrive Hunter. After stringing together those fine stage performances, Loeb now leads the T1 Car Class of the W2RC by 16 points with three rounds remaining.
Sébastien Loeb leads the W2RC after two rounds
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
There was some very hard work and long hours put in for these valuable points both on the rally and back in the bivouac
02
Nasser Al-Attiyah exits on a stage win
Remarkably, Al-Attiyah was still able to bring his car over the finish line as stage winner despite the roll. However, the FIA officials who inspected his vehicle found that it was no longer in the proper condition to take the start of Stage Four due to serious damage to its rollcage. The car race leaders were, therefore, out of the rally.
W2RC Standings after Round Two – T1 Class
03
Seth Quintero parks his Can-Am on the overall podium
Riding a wave of mature racing all week was 20-year-old Seth Quintero, who took the overall win in the T3 class. Quintero and co-driver Dennis Zenz backed up their wins on the Prologue and Stage One to hold the T3 lead from start to finish in Abu Dhabi. Quintero set the third fastest time across all the categories at the ADDC, a truly remarkable achievement by the driver who now leads the overall T3 standings in the W2RC.
Seth Quintero wins the 2023 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
We’ve won the T3 race and we’re P3 overall among all the cars. To be competitive against the T1 cars in my Can-Am is a great job by the whole team
More from the World Rally-Raid Championship
The third Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA presented by BFGoodrich crew of Mitch Guthrie Jr./Kellon Walch celebrated wins on Stages Three and Five in their MCE5 vehicle during the ADDC.
W2RC Standings after Round Two – T3 Class
04
Rokas Baciuška puts Dakar heartache to bed
Victory in the T4 race was claimed by Rokas Baciuška and co-driver Oriol Vidal of the Red Bull Can-Am Factory Team. After leading the T4 contest at the Dakar Rally earlier this year, Baciuška saw first place slip away on the 12th and final stage in Saudi Arabia due to a cruel mechanical mishap on the home straight. The 23-year-old Lithuanian now leads the T4 category of the W2RC following his win in Abu Dhabi.
“Here in Abu Dhabi, we didn’t make any mistakes,” Baciuška said on the finish line. “When you don’t make mistakes, you win the race.”
W2RC Standings after Round Two – T4 Class
Rank
Person
Points
1
134
2
Eryk Goczal
86
3
Pau Navarro
73
05
Toby Price scales the summit
Toby Price of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing is the new bike category leader of the W2RC. The runner-up at the 2023 Dakar powered his way up the rankings as the week went on in Abu Dhabi. Stage wins on days three and five in the Liwa Desert gave the Australian the points he needed to take control of the world championship after two rounds.
Toby Price surfs the dunes of the Liwa Desert
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
On Stage Five we got the win and clawed our way back onto the final podium. That puts us in the lead for the overall championship with a good lot of points for this round
W2RC Standings after Round Two – Bike Class
06
Where next for the World Rally-Raid Championship?
Round Three of the 2023 World Rally-Raid Championship takes place next month in Mexico. The Sonora Rally is a new addition to the calendar this year and will present the convoy with a fresh set of challenges in April.
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