Loeb
battles
Loeb
had
been
firmly
on
course
to
extend
his
lead
in
the
World
Rally-Raid
Championship
when
he
started
the
previous
day’s
stage,
lying
third
overall,
with
a
lead
of
almost
23min
over
Al
Attiyah.
But
the
127kms
into
the
stage
he
was
halted
by
steering
problems,
which
eventually
forced
his
retirement
for
the
day,
with
the
BRX
team
working
through
the
night
to
put
the
Prodrive
Hunter
back
in
action.
Cruise
mode
The
final
leg
which
returned
the
Rallye
Du
Maroc
to
Agadir
was
as
challenging
as
it
was
spectacular,
185kms
of
special
stage
and
189kms
of
liaison,
all
along
the
Atlantic
coast,
finishing
with
a
10kms
beach
run
along
the
famous
Plage
Blanche.
From
the
start,
Loeb
had
his
sights
on
maximum
W2RC
points
as
the
stage
winner,
setting
the
pace
on
the
first
30kms,
and
gradually
increasing
his
lead
over
Chicherit
at
93kms,
249kms
and
274kms,
before
cruising
home
along
the
white
beach
with
1min,
8sec
to
spare.
Record
books
After
being
forced
to
retire
from
the
penultimate
leg
with
steering
problems,
BRX
star
Loeb
produced
the
perfect
response
alongside
co-driver
Fabian
Lurquin,
setting
the
fastest
time
on
the
final
leg
to
keep
alive
his
title
hopes
in
the
W2RC.
Second
fastest
on
the
day,
having
led
the
rally
since
the
end
of
third
stage,
Chicherit
went
into
the
record
books
by
securing
a
maiden
rally
victory,
and
surely
the
first
of
many,
for
the
impressive
Hunter.
Significantly,
all
three
Prodrive
Hunters
completed
the
rally
running
on
sustainable
Eco-Power
fuel,
which
reduces
CO2
emissions
by
80
per
cent.
Over
to
Andalucia
“I
felt
really
confident
in
the
car
during
the
test.
It
fits
really
well
with
my
driving
style.
My
confidence
grew,
kilometre
by
kilometre,
in
the
rally.
It’s
amazing
what
the
team
has
done,
to
build
a
car
from
scratch
and
two
years
later
for
it
to
be
performing
like
this.
I
also
have
to
say
a
huge
thanks
to
Alex
(co-driver
Alex
Winocq)
for
doing
a
huge
job,”
said
Chicherit.
A
new
breed
of
desert
racers
and
the
next
generation
of
rally
machines
gave
us
a
glimpse
of
the
future
as
curtains
descended
on
the
Rallye
du
Maroc.
Next
up
is
the
Andalucia
Rally
running
from
October
18
to
23.
Not
only
is
it
the
fourth
and
final
round
of
the
FIA
World
Rally-Raid
Championship,
but
also
the
last
race
before
January’s
Dakar
Rally.
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