Sébastien Loeb Claims Victory in Stage 3 of the Morocco Rally

Sébastien Loeb, driving for Dacia, achieved a remarkable victory in the third stage of the Morocco Rally, held on Thursday in Zagora. He outpaced notable competitors including Carlos Sainz, who drives a Ford Raptor and has now taken the lead in the overall standings, and Seth Quintero from Toyota. Despite facing significant challenges, including mechanical issues for his fellow Dacia drivers Nasser al-Attiyah and Lucas Moraes, Loeb's performance shone through, allowing him to secure the win.

After a disappointing previous stage where Loeb lost all chances for victory, he made a strong comeback, completing the 363 km special stage with impressive timing. He finished ahead of Sainz by six minutes and fifty seconds, with Quintero trailing by seven minutes and forty-four seconds. Guillaume de Mévius, racing a Mini, also performed well, finishing eight minutes and thirty-one seconds behind Loeb.

Nasser al-Attiyah faced mechanical failures yet again, which forced him to stop for thirty-five minutes during the stage after he had been running in the top positions. His teammate Lucas Moraes also suffered a setback due to an accident late in the race. As a result, Carlos Sainz now leads the overall rankings, with Quintero in second place just three minutes and twenty-three seconds behind, and Nani Roma in a Ford Raptor occupying the third spot at six minutes and twelve seconds. Henk Lategan, who was leading before this stage, has dropped to fifth place, now eight minutes and forty-two seconds behind the leader.

Edgar Canet Takes the Lead in Motorcycle Category

In the motorcycle category, the third stage brought several surprises, including a few mishaps for Daniel Sanders and a fall from Edgar Canet. However, Luciano Benavides from KTM emerged victorious, finishing ahead of Ignacio Cornejo from Hero by one minute and seventeen seconds, and Tosha Schareina from Honda by one minute and thirty-seven seconds. Edgar Canet, who finished fourth in this stage, now leads the overall motorcycle standings, ahead of his KTM teammates Benavides by one minute and twenty-five seconds.

As reported by lequipe.fr.