ABU DHABI, March 3 (BNA) Sebastien Loeb is looking for victory in his first appearance in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which begins this weekend.
After the Dakar in January, the nine-time world rally champion finished second in the 2022 World Rally Championship (WRRC) by one point over Nasser Al-Attiyah, and a victory in Abu Dhabi would give him the lead with three rounds of the championship. New series left.
Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) believes it can win the desert challenge after the strong performance of the Prodrive Hunter in Dakar, where the car won three stages, with Loeb and co-driver Fabian Lorken taking two stages and taking three more places.
The fisherman did particularly well in the sand dunes of the Saudi Arabian desert, and after setting off from the Yas Marina Circuit, the Desert Challenge heads into the sand dunes of the Al Dhafra region, covering nearly 2,000 kilometers over five days.
“We showed that Al-Sayyad had the speed in the Dakar to win, and if the event had been trouble-free, I think it would have been closer between us and Nasser in the end,” Loeb said.
“The car was good in the dunes, and with the desert challenge running almost the entirety over similar terrain, I think we should fight for the win.”
Loeb’s Hunter has been completely rebuilt at the team base at the Bahrain International Circuit.
As in the Dakar, Prodrive Hunter will be powered by Prodrive EcoPower, a sustainable alternative to gasoline made from agricultural waste, reducing overall CO2 emissions by 80% compared to gasoline.
Three Prodrive Hunters ran flawlessly over a combined distance of more than 25,000 km in the Dakar in January using the fuel, reducing CO2 emissions by more than 28 tons.
The team aims to show that such fuels can not only replace gasoline directly in the motorsports chain, but also in all road transportation applications, thus helping to combat climate change.
With the team focused on winning the 2022 WRRC drivers’ title, BRX is putting all of its resources behind rival Loeb. As a result, BRX factory driver Nani Roma will not be competing in the Desert Challenge, but he remains part of the team.