Al-Attiyah secured Dacia’s second-ever round win in the history of the World Rally-Raid Championship. The manufacturer’s first triumph came in the Morocco Rally last October. Abu Dhabi has been a favoured event for Al-Attiyah over the years, as this marked his fifth career victory in the rally.
The Qatari driver started the final day with a narrow 41-second lead but secured his second stage win of the event. This allowed him and his co-driver Edouard Boulanger to clinch overall victory by a margin of two and a half minutes over Lucas Moraes, representing Toyota. Another Toyota driver, Seth Quintero, finished in third place.
“It’s a really good feeling and I’m very happy to win the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. It was a big push from us this week and thanks to The Dacia Sandriders. We were coming here to win the race and lead the championship to make it easier for the next race,” Al-Attiyah commented.
“We have a really good car and the team is very strong.”
Meanwhile, it was another disappointing race for Sebastien Loeb, Al-Attiyah’s Dacia teammate. Loeb retired on Wednesday’s penultimate stage, leaving him without any championship points. He suffered the same fate in the season-opening Dakar Rally in January. With only five rounds in the championship, Loeb’s title chances are now virtually gone.
“We feel sorry for Seb for what happened yesterday, but this is the situation and I am really happy to win this race for The Dacia Sandriders and all partners and people who are supporting us. The speed was very high from every competitor, we respect everyone, but we did a very good job over the last few days,” Al-Attiyah said.
With this victory, Al-Attiyah moves to the top of the championship standings. Dakar Rally winner Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished only 19th in Abu Dhabi but remains second in the standings, 23 points behind Al-Attiyah. Moraes sits in third place, ten points behind Al-Rajhi. Al-Attiyah has won the World Rally-Raid Championship title three years in a row.
Toyota Gazoo Racing holds a dominant lead in the manufacturers’ championship, with a 70-point advantage over Dacia Sandriders. M-Sport Ford sits in third place.
The World Rally-Raid Championship continues in South Africa in May, followed by rounds in Portugal (September) and Morocco (October).
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Final Results:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Dacia | 14:26:55 |
| 2. | Lucas Moraes | Toyota | +2:28 |
| 3. | Seth Quintero | Toyota | +11:56 |
| 4. | Juan Yacopini | Toyota | +29:53 |
| 5. | Mitch Guthrie | Ford | +31:02 |
| 6. | Guy Botterill | Toyota | +38:52 |
| 7. | Joao Ferreira | Mini | +46:40 |
| 8. | Dania Akeel | Taurus | +1:17:30 |
