DAKAR 2023. Sébastien Loeb accumulates disappointments on a very lively Dakar 2023 in Saudi Arabia. After repeated punctures, the nine-time world rally champion made a mistake during the 5th stage, damaging his Prodrive prototype.
If the year 2022 had started with a bang for Sébastien Loeb with a surprise and eventful victory at the Monte-Carlo rally at the wheel of the hybrid Ford Puma WRC, becoming the oldest WRC rally winner in history, the start of the year 2023 does not have the same flavor for the Alsatian. Committed once again to the most demanding rally-raid in the world, the Dakar, which is still missing from its impressive track record, Sébastien Loeb has been accumulating disappointments since the start on 31 December. Multiple punctures from the 2nd stage deprived him of any chance of final victory and an accident on Thursday January 5, 2023 during the 5th stage ruined his morale a little more. Returning a little in the standings thanks to a victory during the 3rd stage, Loeb, accompanied by his Belgian co-driver Fabian Lurquin, made a mistake in the Saudi dunes to lose another 20 minutes on the race lead.
In the standings, Sébastien Loeb slips back to 11th place 1h53 behind the leader, a long way from Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota) who is leading this Dakar 2023. The Qatari offered himself another stage victory on Thursday and resists the armada hybrid Audis led by Stéphane Peterhansel, 2nd 22 minutes behind Al-Attiyah in the general classification of this Dakar 2023. Saudi local Yazeed Al-Rahji (Toyota Overdrive) is in 3rd position 27 minutes behind Al-Attiyah.