Al-Rajhi wins first Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge for KSA as Loeb extends lead in title race

04.03.2023 - 00:09 arabnews.com

ABU DHABI: Sebastien Loeb extended his lead in the World Rally-Raid Championship today as Yazeed Al-Rajhi became the first Saudi Arabian driver to win the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

Al-Rajhi and German partner Timo Gottschalk finished top with a a time of 16 hours, 28 minutes ands six seconds. Partnered by Fabian Lurquin in the Bahrain Raid Xtreme Prodrive Hunter, Loeb produced a measured drive through the final 206 km stage, settling for the second best time on the day to open up a 16-point W2RC advantage over Nasser Al-Attiyah.

The Qataris’ exit from the Desert Challenge following a heavy crash on Wednesday paved the way for Al-Rajhi’s outright win in a Toyota.

The Saudi reached the finish in Abu Dhabi with a cushion of 12 minutes 31 seconds over Czech Martin Prokop in a Ford Raptor.

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