Loeb moves forward after another stage win
Sebastien Loeb’s redemption trail hit new heights, snatching second on the leaderboard thanks to another stage win in the 2023 Dakar Rally.
While Nasser Al-Attiyah further tightened his grip on a fifth Dakar Rally win, Loeb was busy stealing the headlines with a fifth straight stage win.
The three-minute victory in Stage 12 from the Empty Quarter Marathon to Shaybah was enough for the Bahrain Raid Xtreme driver to surge into second place.
The nine time World Rally Champion’s effort to displace Lucas Moraes from second is a significant one, after he sat as low as 31st during his troublesome first week.
Loeb was in a league of his own, leading from start to finish for the second straight stage in the Empty Quarter.
The Frenchman was also able to continue his momentum and finish with a bang by extending his advantage in the final 29km.
Audi’s Mattias Ekstrom in the heat of the desert during the Empty Quarter Marathon. Image: DPPI / Red Bull Content Pool
Al-Attiyah emerged as Loeb’s biggest threat in the opening segments before the latter opened his advantage towards the two minute mark.
Team Audi Sport’s Mattias Ekstrom then raised his hand, flying the flag for his bruised team and stormed into second, eventually finishing 3m19s Loeb.
Although Al-Attiyah finished in third, 12s back from Ekstrom, he has extended his overall lead to a dominant 1H27’10” over Loeb.
With Moraes only registering 10th in the stage, 11 minutes down on Loeb, the Frenchman was thrilled to snare second and has no intentions on letting it go.
“It was a good stage for us,” Loeb said.
“We had a good drive (with) no mistakes at all.
“A perfect stage for me, big push all the time, so it was really good and we are really happy with the car. No trouble at all.
“I am pushing for second, so I am trying my best.”
Big strides for Taylor
Molly Taylor powers over a dune in the Empty Quarter in Stage 12. Image: MCH Photography
Australia’s Molly Taylor made some strong strides in the dunes in Stage 12 of the Dakar Rally.
Taylor and co-driver Andrew Short achieved their personal best stage result of sixth in the T4 Modified Production SSV class for the third time in the rally.
In a tight race for class honours where Michal Goczal defeated Rokas Baciuska by just 13 seconds, Taylor also had a fight on her hands.
The South Racing Can-Am driver trailed the leaders by just over seven minutes, while she had to keep 10 rivals within seven minutes behind her to defend P6.
The strong result is a second straight top 10 finish for the #414 machine, creating some much-needed momentum after the Stage 10 struggle.
Taylor and Short moved up another spot to 13th in the class classification and a top 10 finish is still a possibility.
The next two competitors Toomas Tries and Floresnt Vayssade are within 21 minutes, while the top 10 is still a further 12 minutes up the road.
The penultimate stage of the Dakar Rally will be a 154km special from Shaybah to Al-Hofuf.
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