Al-Attiyah and Loeb set for title showdown at Andalucia Rally

Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah holds a 22-point lead over Sebastien Loeb in the Drivers’ Championship for the inaugural FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.

• A victory or a second-placed finish for al-Attiyah and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel could well prove decisive

Qatar’s four-time Dakar Rally winner Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah will go head-to-head with nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb to decide the outcome of the Drivers’ Championship in the inaugural FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) at the Andalucia Rally, which begins on Wednesday. Finishing third at the recent Rally of Morocco has given al-Attiyah a slight advantage and he will take a 22-point cushion into the season’s finale in southern Spain. Individual selective sections may well be crucial on the five-day event, where fastest times are rewarded with additional bonus points on the four longer stages. A win or a second-placed finish for al-Attiyah and his Andorra-based co-driver Mathieu Baumel in their South African-built Toyota Gazoo Racing GR DKR Hilux could well prove decisive. Loeb and Belgian-driver Fabian Lurquin suffered technical issues in North Africa in a Prodrive-built Hunter BRX and finished 56th overall. Outright victory may well be a necessity for the Frenchman, in addition to consistently fast daily stage times if he is to wrest the title from al-Attiyah’s clutches. The stages in Spain will suit Loeb, as they are similar to those in last year’s Baja Aragon where he led before a small technical problem denied him a certain victory. “We saw in Morocco that we were on the pace, so I hope to be competitive in Andalucia,” said Loeb. “For the championship, we are aiming for the perfect result, and to get the maximum points available. Our goal is to manage our rally as best as possible. It will be different from what we’ve had in the more open nature of cross-country, with many tracks that should suit my driving. So I hope to be performing well there, with the target to win the rally.” Yazeed al-Rajhi is a distant third in the points’ standings but could still finish second if Loeb hit trouble. He again teams up with German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz and heads to Spain directly after competing at Rally Qassim in Saudi Arabia. Al-Rajhi drives the first of three Overdrive Racing Toyota Hiluxes: Dutchman Erik van Loon and Frenchman Lionel Baud are also registered for championship points. Guerlain Chicherit returned to the rallying discipline in spectacular style to win the Rally of Morocco and he drives the second of the Bahrain Raid Extreme Hunters in Spain. The former rallycross star holds sixth in the points’ standings, but he and co-driver Alex Winocq could well provide a vital supporting role for Loeb by potentially depriving al-Attiyah of much-needed points. Portugal’s Joao Ferreira and David Monteiro drive the only X-raid built Mini John Cooper Works Rally in Spain. Ferreira recently clinched the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas title and will use the car in which he claimed the title at Baja Poland. Toyota Gazoo Racing currently holds a 20-point lead over Bahrain Raid Xtreme in the W2RC Manufacturers’ series. With Loeb and Chicherit representing the BRX team and pushing for outright victory in Spain, there is a strong chance that the Prodrive team could snatch the title from Toyota at the 11th hour. The final round of the W2RC had originally been scheduled to take place in early June, but a long period of hot, dry weather increased the risk of bush fires and the decision was taken to postpone the event to the autumn. Today competitors will tackle a Qualifying Stage and four selective sections of 315km 228km, 333km and 126km in a compact route of 2,111km that sees teams visit the Sevilla region, the Malaga province for leg two and the areas around Huelva and Cadiz on the last two days. The event will be based out of the Gran Hipódromo de Andalucia in the town of Dos Hermanas, situated 15km south of Seville.

Sebastien LoebLeading entries: Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (FRA), Toyota GR DKR Hilux Sebastien Loeb (FRA)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), Prodrive Hunter BRX Yazeed al-Rajhi (SAU)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU), Toyota Hilux Overdrive Erik van Loon (NLD)/Sebastien Delaunay (FRA), Toyota Hilux Overdrive Guerlain Chicherit (FRA)/Alex Winocq (FRA), Prodrive Hunter Lionel Baud (FRA)/Remi Boulanger (FRA), Toyota Hilux Overdrive Joao Ferreira (PRT)/David Monteiro (PRT), Mini John Cooper Works Rally Isidre Esteve Pujol (ESP)/José Maria Villalobos (ESP), Toyota Hilux Overdrive Tomas Baronowski (POL)/Maciej Marton (POL), Toyota Hilux Jose Gameiro (ESP)/Antonio Saraiva (ESP), Toyota Land Cruiser (T2)             Timetable Of Events Today: Qualifying Stage (Leg 1A - 12km), Dos Hermanas: 15.30hrs Tomorrow: Leg 1B (315km), First car – 11.13hrs Friday: Leg 2 (228km), First car – 11.33hrs Saturday: Leg 3 (333km), First car – 11.23hrs Sunday: Leg 4 (126km), First car – 11.33hrs