Al Attiyah takes first win with Dacia Sandrider

Nasser Al Attiyah, driver for Dacia Sandriders, claimed victory in the shortest stage of the 2024 Rallye du Maroc, securing his first win with the Dacia Sandrider. Recent rains that affected the tracks made the stage a considerable challenge. This victory also marks Al Attiyah's 40th win in the history of the FIA W2RC championship.

Car category: Al Attiyah leads, followed by Al Rajhi and Sainz

In the car category, Nasser Al Attiyah finished with a 1 minute and 39-second lead over Yazeed Al Rajhi, who placed second. Carlos Sainz, from the Ford M-Sport team, secured a solid third place, 2 minutes and 33 seconds behind Al Attiyah, competing under challenging conditions. Guerlain Chicherit, who won the prologue, finished fourth, 5 minutes and 47 seconds behind the leader.

Sébastien Loeb was another standout of the day. Starting from 121st position due to technical problems in the prologue, he managed to climb to 12th place in the overall standings. Cristina Gutiérrez, Al Attiyah's teammate, finished the stage in sixth place, performing well in a difficult stage.

Stage tragedy: death of motorcyclist Frédéric Baudry

The day also brought tragic news. French motorcyclist Frédéric Baudry, participating for the second time in the Rallye du Maroc, had an accident at kilometer 97 while crossing the dunes. Although medical services arrived quickly and Baudry was transported to Zagora hospital, he sadly could not survive his injuries. The rally organization and the entire convoy expressed their sadness, and the atmosphere in the bivouac was filled with sorrow and respect for the fallen rider.

Weather challenges and route changes

Today's stage was marked by the aftermath of the floods in the Zagora region, affecting both competitors and assistance teams. David Castera, the event organizer, decided to swap the order of stages 1 and 2, reducing the special section distance to facilitate a later start, with motorcycles setting off at 10:05.

The new route configuration covered a total of 352 kilometers, of which 180 were special stages. The damaged tracks and heat in the dunes posed a considerable challenge for the competitors, who will face more difficulties as they head into the eastern region.

“Chaleco” López's success in SSV and Martín Macik leads in trucks

Chilean Francisco “Chaleco” López continues to show consistency at the wheel of the Can-Am Maverick R Experimental, remaining at the top of the SSV category ahead of Alexandre Pinto and Yasir Seaidan. Meanwhile, Martín Macik, driving his MM Technology truck, also maintains his lead in the truck category, with a nearly two-minute advantage over Martin Soltys of the Tatra Buggyra ZM Racing team.

What's next in the 2024 Rallye du Maroc

The 2024 Rallye du Maroc continues tomorrow with stage 2, which will start and finish in Zagora, covering a total of 499 kilometers. The event will continue advancing towards Mengoub and Bouârfa in the upcoming stages, with increasingly longer and more challenging sections for the drivers.

2024 Rallye du Maroc schedule

• October 8: Stage 2 - Zagora - Zagora (Liaison: 227 km / Special: 272 km / Total: 499 km)
• October 9: Stage 3 - Zagora - Mengoub/Bouârfa (Liaison: 360 km / Special: 327 km / Total: 687 km)
• October 10: Stage 4 - Mengoub/Bouârfa - Mengoub/Bouârfa (Liaison: 63 km / Special: 315 km / Total: 378 km)
• October 11: Stage 5 - Mengoub/Bouârfa - Mengoub/Bouârfa (Liaison: 103 km / Special: 273 km / Total: 376 km)