Lucas Moraes wins ahead of Sébastien Loeb in Stage 3: "Finally, the first victory"

If his teammate Sébastien Loeb retains control of the overall standings Rally-Raid Portugal, Lucas Moraes stole the show during this third stage. After a long dry spell since joining Dacia Sandriders, the Brazilian finally broke his duck by securing his first stage victory, thus beating the Alsatian.

« Finally, the first victory with the Dacia Sandriders. I'm really happy. he rejoices. I had a great battle with this legend here, Seb [Loeb] and Edouard [Boulanger]. I'm really proud of the team, of having brought a superb car. It took me longer than I wanted to get this first win. »

Despite particularly treacherous weather conditions, Lucas Moraes did what was necessary to reach the finish line first. The day started well for us. We saw a few mistakes from the team ahead, so we tried to be more cautious. In the last 50 kilometers, the terrain was very muddy and the rain was heavy, so I think it was easy to make mistakes. explains the reigning champion. I managed to stay clean, and it was really nice to have won that stage. »

After his unassuming seventh-place finish at the Dakar Rally last January, the Dacia driver can now legitimately aim for the top. Currently third in the overall standings behind American Seth Quintero, he is indeed only 1 minute and 34 seconds behind the race leader, Sébastien Loeb. A tiny gap that greatly motivates the Brazilian. There are two days left, and it's pretty open now. I'm happy to be back in the race, in this race that I really love. “On Saturday, the route heads to Portugal for the fourth and penultimate stage of the event. The 317km stage will link the town of Loulé from Badajoz (Spain).”

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