Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Guerlain Chicherit’s turn to give up!

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2024 continues to be perilous. This second round of the World Championship season rally-raid (W2RC) is peppered with incidents of all kinds. Following the fire which ravaged the Toyota Hilux of Lucas Moraes, and two days after the collapse of a vertebra for Guillaume de Mévius (Toyota), it is the turn of Guerlain Chicherit to be forced to retire.

🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨

❌ @GChicherit came to a standstill for about 20 minutes with approximately 10 km to go and eventually crossed the Stage 4 finish line without his navigator.
A rough landing in the dunes left his co-driver with lumbar aches. As a precaution, the Frenchman… pic.twitter.com/3trMShWZqf

- World Rally-Raid Championship @ 🏍 (@ OfficialW2RC) March 1, 2024

The French driver was also the victim of a poor reception at the bottom of a dune around ten kilometers from the end of this fourth special, Friday March 1st. If he escaped unscathed, the same cannot be said for his navigator, Alex Winocq. He immediately complained of lower back pain. Guerlain Chicherit crossed the finish line without him and requested the intervention of the medical helicopter to evacuate his co-pilot.

Alone, Guerlain Chicherit will not be classified and therefore cannot continue the competition.

ALSO READ > VIDEO – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge: Lucas Moraes’ Toyota ravaged by flames

A 424 km special, including 206 timed, will end the 33rd edition of the ADDC tomorrow. Everything is still open in several categories. In the Ultimate, Nasser Al Attiyah (Nasser Racing by Prodrive) has regained control but Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing, +9'21") and Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing, +12'07") will try to push him to the fault. There is no room for error, any more than in Challenger: 6'37" separate the Can-Am Factory of Austin Jones and Rokas Baciuska. What can we say about the SSV, where Mansour Al Helei (RX-Sport) will start under the direct threat of Yasir Seaidan (MMP) at 1'12”.