Sébastien Loeb on his way to the Andalusia Rally

Currently leader of the Rally-Raid world championship, Sébastien Loeb heads towards the third and penultimate stage of the season in Andalusia with only one point ahead of his main opponent, Nasser al-Attiyah.

Published on 03/05/2022 à 14:58

⁰ View comments)

Sébastien Loeb on his way to the Andalusia Rally

Sébastien Loeb concluded the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in sixth place, far ahead of al-Attiyah @ Julien Delfosse / DPPI

Eyes and attention riveted towards the Rally of Andalusia for Sébastien Loeb. Although the Frenchman is currently engaged in WRC on the roads of Portugal (from May 19 to 22), another meeting awaits him in a little over a month from now on. Third and penultimate stage of the Rally-Raid world championship, Andalusia will be the scene of a new duel between Sébastien Loeb and Nasser al-Attiyah, although the challenge will be very different from the one to which the two drivers were faced during the Dakar.

Prodrive lines up Terranova in addition to Loeb

If they are currently leading the championship, Loeb and his co-driver Fabian Lurquin will be supported by Orlando Terranova and Dani Oliveras during the Spanish round (June 7 to 12). The Franco-Belgian duo will look to extend their lead during the five-stage event, which covers around 1500km of mainly dirt stages in south-west Spain. This is the first time that Loeb and Terranova will participate in this event, which is only in its third edition.

Rather than an open desert made up of sand and dunes, Andalusia is much closer to a traditional gravel rally and comparable to those found in the WRC.

“Andalusia and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge couldn't be more different, confides Sébastien Loeb, who finished the second rally cited in sixth position. The hundreds of kilometers of sand and dunes are replaced by gravel tracks, which will be similar to those of the WRC at events like Portugal or Greece.

ALSO READ: Nani Roma suffers from cancer

The Hunter and T1 cars aren't really designed for this terrain, but that's part of the championship challenge. To win here you have to race at the front of the pack and clear the road for the following cars, so I think it will be difficult for any of them to get a big lead. »

The two drivers will also run again with Prodrive EcoPower, a sustainable fuel made from agricultural waste by a partner of the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team – which reduces emissions by 80% compared to conventional fuel.