Fantastic win
"This is fantastic to bring Bahrain Raid Xtreme their first World Rally-Raid Championship victory, as we've worked hard since 2020 to be able to get this win," said Loeb at the finish.
"It's really great for everyone. In 2022 the fight with Nasser was always very tough, but I pushed hard all the way through this stage and yet we were only 6sec apart."
Tricky stages
"So that was a great battle over a rally like this, with such tricky stages. Over the season, we've had good performances from the Prodrive Hunter. We're there now with the speed, and were it not for some bad luck on the last rally, we would've be even closer to the title.
"Taking the fight to the last day of the championship says so much for BRX, as we learn more and more against others who've had more time in rally raids, but this means we are even more prepared."
Chicherit impresses
commented: "It's been amazing training again with good mileage in the car. That's built more confidence for myself and for the navigation because it was quite tricky in many places.
"We had some mechanical issues here that we didn't have in Morocco, which is just the way it goes sometimes in motorsport, but that victory will be a memory I'll have for a long time. I arrived late here as I was with my pregnant wife for as long as possible in France, but I now need to go as I hear she's in the hospital and it's happening now."
All-terrain hypercar
Loeb's input has been crucial in the development of the world's first all-terrain hypercar, based on the Hunter rally car, which will be unveiled for prospective buyers in Dubai next month.
The car is being built in limited numbers to the individual specifications of select super car enthusiasts. The two Hunters which passed another major test in southern Spain this week both completed the rally running on sustainable Eco-Power fuel.