Andalucia Rally: Sebastien Loeb takes title race down to the wire after superb stage victory

Bengaluru, October 23: Sebastian Loeb recorded a stunning stage victory for Bahrain Raid Xtreme to take the lead in the Andalucia Rally and set up a thrilling finish to the inaugural FIA World Rally-Raid (W2RC) Championship.

Partnered by Fabian Lurquin in the BRX Prodrive Hunter, Loeb wiped out Nasser Al Attiyah's 11min, 20sec overnight lead to ensure the drivers' title race will go all the way to finish tomorrow.

The nine-time World Rally Championship (WRC) winner will go into the final leg of the series holding a slender 28sec advantage over the Qatari championship leader in a Toyota Hilux.

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

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

Loeb vs Al Attiyah

While Loeb still has a 21-point gap to make up on Al Attiyah, the uncertainties of rally raid which have been so evident this season suggest there could still be a dramatic climax in southern Spain.

After a masterful display at the wheel of the impressive Prodrive Hunter, Loeb will be going flat out for a repeat performance on the final special stage of the 2022 W2RC.

Sandy tracks

After bad weather wiped out the previous day's stage, fog at the rally base in Dos Hermanas caused an hour's delay before the special sent the cars away on sandy tracks through pine and eucalyptus groves into the Andalusian province of Huelva.

Loeb was looking for a strong start to begin slicing away at Al Attiyah's lead, which was increased by a minute after the rally stewards wiped out an earlier penalty given to the Qatari for speeding in a neutralised zone.

Blistering pace

If anything, that seemed to inspire the Frenchman as he set a blistering pace over the opening 71kms, gaining 3min, 37sec on Al Attiyah and almost a minute on second-placed Al Rajhi. Loeb's lead over his Qatari rival was up to 5min, 45sec by the 102kms mark, and there was no letting up as he increased his advantage in the Prodrive Hunter to 9min, 39sec after 212kms.

The pace from Loeb was relentless, and at 246kms he had slashed Al Attiyah's overall advantage to just 11sec, eventually grabbing the outright rally lead over the final sprint to the finish. The stages in Spain were 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

New chapter

The year 2022 marked an exciting new chapter for cross-country rallying, as the W2RC discipline became the seventh World Championship under the governance of the FIA.

And now after five days on rivetting action in Spain, the title race has come down to the wire with Al Attiyah and Loeb locked in a close battle.