Rally-Raid

Rallye du Maroc – Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel, the reasons for the breakage

Rejected to 9th place more than an hour from the race lead, Nasser Al-Attiyah suffered a lack of reliability in their Toyota Hilux T1+, an extremely rare thing for a 4x4 renowned for its solidity.

Published on 18/10/2023 à 08:45

Medhi Casaurang

0 View comments)

Rallye du Maroc – Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel, the reasons for the breakage

The Toyota Hilux T1+ is not a tank... Photo DPPI / Julien Delfosse

Let's be honest: we were already preparing to talk about an eighth victory for Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel (Toyota) on the Rally of Morocco, when the double world rally-raid champion crew (W2RC) attacked the dunes of Merzouga this Tuesday, October 17. Double stage winner, in the lead since the start of Agadir, nothing seemed to stop them.

But, as in any sport, nothing is certain before crossing the finish line. New demonstration with the breakdown which forced the Qatari-French duo to carry out a repair lasting more than an hour, just 11 km from the end of the special:

ALSO READ > Rally of Morocco – Sébastien Loeb recounts his crash: “Bang, I fell into a crevasse”

However, the red alert had already been ringing in the passenger compartment of the Toyota Hilux T1+ for around 230 km. “After 100 km, we broke the shaft connecting to the rear differential, explained Nasser Al-Attiyah back at the bivouac. I thought the problem was with the gearbox. We continued in “traction” mode, which was not easy to manage in the dunes at the end of the course. Then we broke the driveshaft. »

Information taken from Alain Dujardyn, Team Principal of Toyota Gazoo Racing in W2RC, the events occurred as follows. Around the 100th km, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel had the feeling that the rear differential was out of order. A damage which had already occurred to them during the Baja Italy last July, nevertheless finished in 2nd place.

Except that by only requesting the front transmission, particularly in the dunes which occupied the final part of the special, the mechanics ended up giving way. Stuck, without traction or propulsion, Al-Attiyah-Baumel had to roll up their sleeves in the desert and change the cardan shaft of the right front wheel:

Alain Dujardyn seemed somewhat disillusioned in the Merzouga bivouac. And for good reason: the initial problem, at this famous km 100, concerned the said broken cardan shaft. “It’s a damage that can be repaired in 15 minutes, he says, because each Toyota has a spare part. This can be placed on the right or left side, as well as on the front or rear axle of the vehicle. » Instead of a quarter of an hour, the cost was therefore an hour.

Nasser Al-Attiyah suggests for his part “to have more information about the parts used in the car, and how many kilometers each part has logged. In any case, (the) didn't have(T) Never encountered such a problem until today. »

The seven years spent at Toyota will therefore end without a final victory on the Rallye du Maroc. Which doesn't really annoy Nasser Al-Attiyah. “We did our best on this rally. It wasn't our day, it was the rally raid. Sometimes something can happen to you. But we are happy with our performance and we will try to finish on a better note tomorrow. »

Medhi Casaurang

Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!

0 View comments)

Continue reading on these topics:

Mathieu baumel Nasser Al-Attiyah Rally du Maroc W2RC
Read also

Comments

*The space reserved for logged in users. Please connect to be able to respond or post a comment!

0 Comment (s)

To write a comment