In cars, the former world rally champion dominated the debates during the 13th stage between Shaybah and Al-Hofuf (154 kilometers) on Saturday.
Sebastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin during the Dakar prologue, December 31, 2022. (AFP)
We can’t stop the Alsatian anymore! Accustomed to breaking records during his rich career in WRC rallying, Sebastien Loeb is now doing it in the dunes of the Dakar. Saturday January 14, on the eve of the arrival of the 2023 edition of the rally raid, the Frenchman won his sixth consecutive stage, between Shaybah and Al-Hofuf (154 km). A series that is quite simply unprecedented, since no one had achieved such a performance in the history of the Dakar.
Sebastien Loeb also achieved his seventh stage success in this 2023 edition. However, this historic performance is far from enough for the Frenchman overall. Indeed, it is still more than 1h20 from Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota). Spared by worries, the Qatari only conceded five minutes to the Habs on Saturday.
Stage 1️⃣3️⃣ – Cars 🚗
Provisional top 3 after 78km:
1️⃣ Sébastien Loeb ⏱ 1:19:07
2️⃣ Nasser Al-Attiyah ⏱+1'56’’
3️⃣ Mattias Ekström ⏱+3'55’’👀 Is @SebastienLoeb on his way to a record six straight wins?
🔴 Follow the race live:https://t.co/BrruP0oEtI#Dakar2023 pic.twitter.com/EfNQm3vOIQ
— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 14, 2023
In search of a title on the Dakar since 2016, the nine-time WRC world champion will have to wait another year, despite this historic series. The Alsatian pays dearly for his misadventures which occurred during the 2nd stage (a delay of more than 1h26). However, he should be on the podium for the fourth time, he who has already finished second in 2017 and 2022 (third in 2019), and who now has 18 stage victories in seven participations.