Al Attiyah in trouble
While the trio of Prodrive Hunters had all lost ground through a combination of mechanical, tyre and navigational problems on the previous leg, it was Al Attiyah, and Saudi Arabia's overnight leader Yazeed Al Rajhi, who found trouble.
Lying second at the end of the first desert stage, Al Attiyah plunged out of contention after a series of three punctures forced him to wait for assistance, while punctures late on the stage dropped Al Rajhi to fourth overall.
Loeb in cruise mode
For the second day running, Chicherit impressed on his first competitive drive in the Hunter, setting the pace on the early part of the stage.
It was then Loeb's turn to increase the power and take the stage lead before the halfway point, with BRX team-mate Terranova also making good progress to make it a 1-2-3 for the Prodrive Hunters, before the Argentinian later moved ahead of Chicherit.
Desert stage
The leg had begun with a 119kms journey from Tan-Tan to the start of the rally's second desert stage, which included a variety of terrain up to a large plateaux at the midway point, followed by a succession of dunes.
The stage finished at the new Laayoune bivouac, located on an imposing site overlooking a wadi, where the Rallye du Maroc set up camp for two nights. In between comes the 299kms third desert stage, with another two stages to follow before the finish in Agadir on Thursday (October 6).
Sandy tracks
The five-round inaugural FIA World Rally-Raid Championship kicked off with the famous Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, an epic adventure in the spectacular sand and dunes of the Empty Quarter. The Championship remained in the Middle East for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge before heading to central Asia and Kazakhstan, where the arid scrublands and deserts of the world's largest landlocked country provide another different challenge.
Rally Andalucia will mark the World Championship's visit to Europe, while ongoing Rallye du Maroc on the African continent rounds out the season with its wide range of technical, fast and sandy tracks, as well as dunes.