Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Motorsport
Motorsport
Sport

Al-Attiyah joins Loeb in Dacia's Dakar Rally line-up for 2025

Earlier this year, the Romanian manufacturer announced plans to compete in the Dakar in 2025 following what labelled as a "test phase" during 2024, when it will enter selected events of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.

Al-Attiyah, who has won the Dakar in 2011, 2015, 2019, 2022 and 2023, will join World Rally legend Loeb and Spanish driver Cristina Gutierrez in Dacia's official line-up.

The Qatari will have to wait until 2025 to compete with Dacia in the Dakar, as he will drive a Prodrive-built Hunter T1+ in 2024.

Along with his usual co-driver, Matthieu Baumel, the five-time winner of the rally will be testing the car in order to develop it and arrive better prepared for the next edition of the event.

Dacia's yet-to-be-unveiled prototype will run on synthetic fuel, as already revealed in its presentation in July.

Despite Dacia's lack of experience in the Dakar, Al-Attiyah said the goal was to win in its maiden outing.

"I'm really happy to be part of the Dacia," said Al-Attiyah. "I think it will be a really good team and strong, and we'll try to win from the first year."

He added: "It's a dream team. I have a lot of respect for Sebastien Loeb and Cristina and I have a good relationship with both drivers. We are really very strong and our aim is to win with this beautiful brand Dacia."

The 46th edition of the Dakar will start on 5 January, with a route entirely in Saudi Arabia.

The event will cover 7,891 kilometres, of which 4,727 kilometres will be timed.

The rally will also feature a new 48-hour challenge with a 584km timed marathon that will start in the morning, stop in the evening and resume the following day.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.