Andalucia Rally: Sebastien Loeb forced to play the waiting game as weather plays spoilsport

Sebastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin — Sebastien Loeb and co-driver Fabian Lurquin caught in a pensive mood (Images: Team BRX Media)

Bengaluru, October 22: Sebastien Loeb was forced to play the waiting game with Bahrain Raid Xtreme when the Andalucia Rally, final round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), was disrupted by bad weather.

The 335kms second special stage was cancelled because low-level clouds at the rally base in Dos Hermanas prevented the event's helicopters from taking off, and made it impossible to guarantee competitor safety.

After losing time owing to power steering and navigational issues 24 hours earlier, Loeb and co-driver Fabian Lurquin in their BRX Prodrive Hunter had been relishing the chance to revive their title bid on a route sweeping into the Sierra del Torcal mountain range.

Andalucia Rally: Sebastien Loeb fights back after a tough day in Spain; Stage win for Nasser Al Attiyah Andalucia Rally: Sebastien Loeb fights back after a tough day in Spain; Stage win for Nasser Al Attiyah

They will now re-start the event tomorrow holding third place, 10min, 20sec behind the rally and championship leader, Nasser Al Attiyah in a Toyota Hilux.

Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Al Rajhi holds second place in another Toyota, with Guerlain Chicherit, winner of the penultimate round in Morocco earlier this month, lying fourth in his Prodrive Hunter.

Different test

The second of four long stages was due to present a different test for drivers, sending them over a mix of broken, narrow tracks in the hills north of Malaga close to the El Torcal de Antequera nature reserve.

The start was initially delayed for two hours before eventually being cancelled, leaving two stages remaining before the finish on Sunday (October 23).

Loeb vs Al Attiyah

"It's always frustrating when you go to the start of the stage and then you have go back to service," said nine-time World Rally Championship winner, who is engaged in a close battle with Al Attiyah.

"But the weather conditions were really tricky, the helicopters couldn't reach the stage so we could've no safety. The organisation couldn't risk starting the stage and cancelling it was the only thing to do."

Navigation difficult

The final stage, which takes the rally in the Andalusian province of Huelva, is expected to be the toughest of the rally and could decide the outcome of the event, and the championship.

Loeb remains determined to make amends for the time he lost due to power steering problems, and technical issues related to the competitor's digital road books which made navigation difficult.

Close finish

The stages in Spain are expected to suit the the WRC legend as they are similar to those in last year's Baja Aragon where he led before a small technical problem denied him a certain victory. Loeb's input from the BRX rally programme has been a key factor in the design of the hypercar, which is being built in limited numbers to the individual specifications of select super car enthusiasts.

Stage wins in Andalucia could ultimately prove decisive, as they carry extra bonus points. Added to the uncertainty of rally raids, which run over difficult terrain and present stern navigational challenges, this means the title race may still produce a tense finish.