Dacia Sandriders to Compete at 2024 Rallye du Maroc: FIA World Rally-Raid Championship Showdown
The Dacia Sandriders are gearing up to enter competition mode at the Rallye du Maroc from 6 – 11 October 2024. This event features racers Nasser Al-Attiyah and Édouard Boulanger, Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno, Sébastien Loeb, and Fabian Lurquin. It serves as the 2024 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship decider and the ideal preparation for the upcoming Dakar Rally.
After extensive testing of their Ultimate category, Sandrider, in the UK, France, and Morocco, the team is ready to apply their newfound insights at what many consider a mini Dakar — the ultimate test of both driver and machine.
Despite this being their first competitive outing at the Rallye du Maroc, the team's drivers and personnel bring valuable experience from recent editions of the African rally-raid. This experience provides a solid foundation for the team’s progression.
Nasser Al-Attiyah, a distinguished five-time Dakar winner, clinched a victory at Rallye du Maroc as recently as 2021.
Tiphanie Isnard, the Dacia Sandriders' team principal, emphasized the importance of this event: “In under three months, we'll be in Saudi Arabia for Dakar, facing an extraordinary human challenge. But as you cannot run before you can walk, we've entered the final round of the 2024 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship to secure crucial practice and to validate our developmental progress from recent tests.”
With five test sessions behind them, this race marks the team's first real-world challenge, serving as a vital rehearsal before attempting to conquer the Dakar Rally.
The effort to reach this stage has been tremendous. “The dedication of our entire team has been remarkable, and I am immensely proud of everyone’s contributions,” added Isnard.
Rallye du Maroc, a founding event of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship in 2022 and the season decider once again in 2024, starts with a Prologue in Marrakech and concludes in Mengoub Bouârfa. The race challenges competitors with dunes, rocky stretches, rough gravel, and intense heat. With 1,512 of its 2,468 kilometres timed, the rally underscores the intensity of the challenge awaiting the Dacia Sandriders.
Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar), one of the drivers, noted the rally's significance: “Rallye du Maroc is crucial not only for the championship but as a preparatory event for Dakar. Currently leading the championship, I focus on managing a good pace without taking unnecessary risks, especially since the Sandrider is a new car.”
Cristina Gutiérrez (Spain), another driver from the team, shared her excitement and nervousness about competing in a new category and with a new car. “It's all about confirming the hard work from our testing phase at this preparatory race for Dakar,” she said.
Sébastien Loeb (France) highlighted the rally as a pivotal full-scale test. “It’s a chance to gauge our performance against the competition and ensure everything functions correctly before Dakar. A strong result here would be the icing on the cake,” he said.
As the Dacia Sandriders focus on their Dakar preparations, Nasser Al-Attiyah also eyes his sixth title at this significant event in the rebranded FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.
