Rally Morocco, Stage 2 – Nasser Al-Attiyah W2RC world champion

Rally of Morocco 2023 – Ranking Stage 2:

General classification :

• It only took two stages on this 2023 Rally of Morocco for Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota) secures the title of World Rally Raid Champion (W2RC) this Sunday, October 15. The Qatari, winner of the second Moroccan special stage around Zagora, is certain to bring home a second consecutive title, regardless of his final result in Morocco.

🚦Ready? Goooooo! @TGR_W2RC 🚗💨# W2RC #FIA #FIM #RallyOfMorocco #RDM2023 pic.twitter.com/hGkcewSVqj

- World Rally-Raid Championship @ 🏍 (@ OfficialW2RC) October 15, 2023

• Indeed, his only opponent in W2RC, Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Toyota) had to finish in the top 3 of the stage to postpone a deadline that seemed inevitable. However, he only recorded the 4th time. Indeed, in FIA, the first 15 crews are rewarded (30, 25, 20, 17, 15, 13, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2), as well as the first 5 of each step (5, 4, 3, 2, 1). 55 units are therefore to be taken over the entire race. The Saudi, even if he won the other three stages of the Morocco Rally and Nasser Al-Attiyah had to abandon, can only match his rival's current score. In this case of a tie, Nasser Al-Attiyah would easily win the game of the number of victories in 2023 (3 against 1).

ALSO READ > Rally of Morocco – Nasser Al-Attiyah: “We overtook 21 cars in the first stage! »

• Nasser Al-Attiyah thus completes Toyota Gazoo Racing’s triumph in W2RC this season. The Japanese brand had already won the Manufacturers' ranking at the end of the previous round in Argentina. French navigator Mathieu Baumel was already assured of the title because Yazeed Al-Rajhi collaborated with two co-pilots during the season. Baumel played all rounds of the W2RC alongside Al-Attiyah.
• In the Bahrain Raid Xtreme clan, we have already lost a 4x4. That of Orlando Terranova and Bernardo Graue, arrested in the desert following a torn suspension. Their teammates Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin once held the best intermediate times, but weakened at the end of the course and ranked third, more than 2 minutes behind Al-Attiyah.
• Absent since their caper at the Dakar, Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz reassured themselves by recording the second best time aboard the Audi RS Q e-tron hybrid. Dumped the day before, Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist are getting back on track and should finish in the top 6.
• Note the excellent performance of the beginners in T1+, Guillaume de Mévius and François Cazalet. The Belgian-French crew, so far accustomed to T3, took Overdrive Racing's Toyota Hilux T1+ to 7th place, ahead of the experienced Guerlain Chicherit, also at the wheel of a Toyota.