Rally of Morocco, Stage 1B: Al-Rajhi starts the race, Loeb struggles

David Castera, the boss of Rally du Maroc, did not take the 342 competitors involved as traitors. This first “real” stage of the 2022 edition, contested the day after a nine-kilometer test gallop, was not to be taken “lightly with more than 300 km on time. It’s an entry point that is not easy”, assured the Béarnais, and he was right!

This Sunday, October 2, the stage linking Agadir to Tan Tan in the south of the country reserved the first surprises of this penultimate meeting of the W2RC, the World Championship of rally-raid. We were waiting for Nasser Al-Attiyah or Sébastien Loeb, but it is the runner-up of the 2021 edition, Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Toyota) who was the fastest.

The Saudi, who celebrated his 41st birthday two days earlier, is smiling again, a month after witnessing the complete burning of his Toyota Hilux T1+ during the Baja Poland. The Belgian mechanics from the Overdrive structure lent him a chassis while waiting to assemble a new 4×4 this fall. Yazeed Al-Rajhi also listens to notes from a replacement co-pilot, Dirk von Zitzewitz. His usual sailor Michael Orr was injured in the malleolus in Poland.

However, it was not him who animated most of the day but rather the winner of the 2022 Dakar and author of the best time in the prologue on Saturday, Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota). The Qatari, associated with Mathieu Baumel, slowed down at the end of the special and lost 3'13'' to the Saudi.

The pleasant surprise of the stage is produced by Guerlain Chicherit (BRX Hunter). The winner of the Silk Way Rally 2021, entered with Alex Winocq, battled for a long time with the leading Toyotas; the spearhead of GCK Motorsport, however, concedes 9'50'' for the most part in the last 50 km of the special. On his two-wheel drive Mini JCW, Jakub Przygonski set the third time (+7'29'').

Tough for Loeb

Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin (BRX) disappointed during this Sunday stage. The Franco-Belgian duo lost 20 minutes from the first sequences of slopes in the Moroccan hills. A broken front right suspension triangle forced the red 4x4 to stop, then two flat tires slowed its progress.

The lost delay was never made up by the sea and the nine-time world champion WRC, who arrived in Morocco with a lead of a small point in the W2RC general classification over Nasser Al-Attiyah, already drops 23'40'' on Al-Rajhi and 20'40'' on Al-Attiyah, including 2 minutes penalty for excessive speed in a restricted zone. The Alsatian has four stages to get back on track before arriving in Agadir on Thursday October 6.

ALSO READ > Morocco Rally: the Loeb-Al-Attiyah duel resumes with a vengeance

The three hybrid Audis, entered in the Open class due to their 2023 homologation, do not appear in the FIA ​​T1+ category available below. It prevents that Carlos Sainz achieved a time of 3h28'13", 51" better than the winner of the FIA ​​category, Yazeed Al Rajhi. With a time of 3h 38'35", Mathias Ekström, set the fifth scratch time and Stéphane Peterhansel (3h39'50"), the 7th time. 

Rallye du Maroc 2022 – Stage 1B classification and general classification: