The Dacia Sandriders will start the second week of the Dakar Rally full of fight for the tough challenge ahead. Contesting the hugely demanding FIA World Rally-Raid Championship event for the first time, The Dacia Sandriders has impressed with its pace and potential in Saudi Arabia, while also experiencing a few challenging moments. But the experience and knowledge gained, and the exemplary teamwork on show, leaves the team full of belief and ready for the remaining 2464 competitive kilometres.
Tiphanie Isnard, team principal of The Dacia Sandriders, said: “We expected a tough week of our first Dakar and it has certainly been the case. But as a young team with a young car, we have been able to improve our understanding with every kilometre completed during the first week. It was a big disappointment and frustrating for all the team that has worked so hard when we lost the #219 Dacia Sandrider, and for Sébastien and Fabian, who had done a fantastic job. But the team spirit has been so impressive, and it was fantastic to see them all helping each other together, especially Cristina and Pablo, who are paving the way for The Dacia Sandriders. Each member of the team is feeling that spirit and now we have a lot of things we have learned in the backpack, so let’s see what’s possible next week.”
That teamwork was particularly notable on Stage 4 on Wednesday. Having helped Nasser Al-Attiyah and Édouard Boulanger continue after their Dacia Sandrider suffered a suspension failure caused by the punishing terrain, Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno came to the rescue again at the overnight halt in AlUla following the completion of the first marathon stage.
With marathon stage rules preventing outside assistance apart from help provided by other FIA competing crews, Moreno, a qualified mechanic, worked with the team’s T5 crew to swap the gearboxes of both cars ready for Stage 5.
Gutiérrez and Moreno had earlier helped Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin with spare parts and a replacement tyre following their roll on Stage 3 and also when an electrical issue struck Loeb and Lurquin’s Dacia Sandrider on Stage 2, which Gutiérrez and Moreno were unable to complete due to a powersteering issue.
With five stages run, Al-Attiyiah and Boulanger are fourth in the overall classification, 35 minutes behind the leaders having come within one second of banking the first Dakar Rally stage win for The Dacia Sandriders on Thursday’s fifth stage. Gutiérrez and Moreno are in 45th due to their non-finish on Stage 2.
THE DACIA SANDRIDERS: DAKAR RALLY KEY MOMENTS SO FAR
Stage 1 (Saturday January 4): Gutiérrez/Moreno are fifth fastest. Loeb/Lurquin take a strategic approach to secure an advantageous road position for Stage 2 and go 22nd quickest. Al-Attiyah/Boulanger are delayed changing a damaged tyre and a failure of the tablet used for navigation and the on-stage Sentinel security system.
Stage 2 (Sunday January 4-Monday January 5): Al-Attiyah/Boulanger complete the 48H Chrono stage in third overall. Loeb/Lurquin hold second after 409 kilometres but are stationary for 40 minutes while an electronic issue is rectified. Gutiérrez/Moreno are unable to go beyond the 729-kilometre mark due to a power steering failure.
Stage 3 (Tuesday January 5): Loeb/Lurquin roll after 12 kilometres, they make it to the stage finish but damage to the roll cage of their Dacia Sandrider prevents them from continuing. Al-Attiyiah/Boulanger move up to second place with the sixth quickest time. Gutiérrez/Moreno are 14th quickest following their restart, stopping in the stage to assist Loeb/Lurquin.
Stage 4 (Wednesday January 6): Starting Stage 4, the first marathon stage, in second position, Al-Attiyah/Boulanger are forced to stop after 97 kilometres to change a damaged left-rear tyre. A further stoppage following 118 kilometres of challenging terrain proves more extensive with the pair stationary for 26 minutes due to a suspension issue. It requires the assistance of Gutiérrez/Moreno for them to continue but they slip to seventh in the overall standings, 35m53s off the lead. Gutiérrez/Moreno set the 13th fastest time.
Stage 5 (Thursday January 7): Al-Attyiah/Boulanger charge through the 428-kilometre stage with the fastest time. But with a spare wheel missing from the #200 Dacia Sandrider after the supporting frame fails, a 10-minute penalty is applied, and they lose the stage win by one second. Nevertheless, they reach the rest day in fourth overall. Gutiérrez/Moreno continue to perform their exemplary supporting role. They set the 15th fastest time.
LOEB’S FOCUS SWITCHES TO ABU DHABI
Sébastien Loeb has already switched his focus to the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, round two of the 2025 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship from February 21-27. It follows the Frenchman’s early exit from the Dakar Rally after a high-speed roll on Stage 3. Despite the incredible determination and huge team effort following the accident 12 kilometres from the stage start, a Decision of the Stewards in response to a deformation of the safety cage sustained in the accident prevented Loeb and Belgian navigator Fabian Lurquin from continuing.
Loeb, who had been in fightback mode after a delay of 40 minutes due to an electrical issue when running in second place on the 48H Chrono stage on Sunday, said: “It’s really frustrating to head back to Jeddah to fly home instead of being in the car fighting it out on the stages. As for our rollover, I’m honestly at a bit of a loss for words. It wasn’t from pushing too hard; we just got caught out by a bad compression, simple as that. There wasn’t much we could do in the moment. These things happen, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Still, I’m with Cristina, Pablo, Nasser, Édouard and the entire team in spirit and I wish them all the best for the second week. I have no doubt they will make themselves proud.”
DAKAR RALLY PROVISIONAL OVERALL RESULTS AFTER STAGE 5 (UNOFFICIAL)
4th: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), +35m00s
48th: Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), +37h34m39s
DAKAR RALLY: THE BIG NUMBER
4245: There’s still another 4245 kilometres, including 2464 against the clock, to go before the finish of the 2025 Dakar Rally in Shubaytah, eastern Saudi Arabia, on Friday January 17.
THE DAY AHEAD: STAGE 6, HA’IL-AL-DUWADIMI, JANUARY 11
Ha’il-Al Duwadimi is a two-parter either side of a 172-kilometre transfer section. The stage runs over high-speed terrain initially before it switches to a slower, sandy route, marked with hills and small dunes.
Stage distance: 606km Liaison distance: 223km Total distance: 829km
