Dacia Sandriders Clinch Podium at South African Safari Rally
The Dacia Sandriders celebrated their third FIA World Rally-Raid Championship podium in four rallies after Sébastien Loeb and Fabien Lurquin secured second place in the South African Safari Rally. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Édouard Boulanger amplified the success in Sun City by claiming their second stage victory of the week, having already topped Thursday’s timing sheets.
In only their third W2RC appearance since debuting last October, the team’s sustainably fuelled prototypes mastered terrain that switched from open savannah to tight farmland tracks. They crossed the line second and tenth overall, sustaining the squad’s pursuit of the Driver, Navigator and Manufacturer crowns.
Al-Attiyah and Boulanger now lead the provisional driver and navigator standings with 114 points, twenty clear of their closest rivals, while Loeb and Lurquin hold ninth on 40. The Dacia Sandriders sit second in the manufacturers’ race with 206 points.
Rally drama heightened when officials recalculated Stage 4 times over a disputed 2.5-kilometre section, slicing Loeb’s deficit to local favourite Henk Lategan to 39 seconds with only 111 competitive kilometres left. The Frenchman attacked, traded seconds, and finally finished 1 minute 39 seconds adrift after 1,197 demanding kilometres.
Al-Attiyah’s quest for overall victory faltered after stewards imposed 17 minutes of penalties for missed waypoints. Yet, he stormed Stage 5 to earn the 45th W2RC stage win of his career, finishing 1 minute 56 seconds ahead of Lucas Moraes.
Tiphanie Isnard, team principal, said, “It was a good result for The Dacia Sandriders. We met our objective of scoring points in the Manufacturers' Championship and maintaining the lead in the Drivers' Championship. I’m proud of the team.”
Nasser Al-Attiyah added, “It was a good experience and nice to be here for the South African Safari Rally. We did an amazing job and tried our best… Now we are leading by 20 points, and this is very important.”
Sébastien Loeb reflected, “It’s our first year with the Dacia Sandrider and we always have to work because it’s a new car with things to optimise… The feeling of the car was good, the fight was intense, and I’m happy to finish on the podium.”
The action began on 20 May when Al-Attiyah and Loeb both placed inside the top five despite early penalties. Al-Attiyah briefly led after the 356-kilometre Stage 2 marathon before further sanctions struck, while Loeb climbed steadily with a consistent pace. Al-Attiyah hit back with the fastest time on Stage 3, Loeb seized the overall lead, and the pair reached the penultimate day locked in a fierce duel with Lategan. In Saturday’s finale, Loeb confirmed second overall and Al-Attiyah powered from 17th on the road to a commanding stage win.
After three rounds, the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship moves to Europe for the BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal from 22–28 September 2025, where the Dacia Sandriders aim to turn momentum into more silverware.
