Dakar Rally: Dacia Sandriders down to two teams after French driver Sébastien Loeb involved in accident

Dacia’s racing team at the famous Dakar Rally, Dacia Sandriders, is down to two participating teams after French driver Sébastien Loeb was involved in an accident at the start of the third stage. Severely damaged, the car was unable to continue.

The trouble began with a 40-minute delayed start due to an electrical issue. Loeb's attempt to recover lost time in Stage 3 came to an abrupt end when he rolled the car in a rough section of the course. Although Loeb and his Belgian navigator, Fabian Lurquin, were uninjured, their vehicle sustained significant damage. At kilometer 63, the team had to stop again to replace a damaged steering arm.

A nine-time World Rally Champion, Loeb still hoped to repair the damage to his Dacia Sandrider. However, the crash at kilometer 12 of the 327 km special stage between Bisha and Al Henakiyah caused damage too severe to overcome. Despite the technical issues, Loeb and his co-driver Fabian Lurquin managed to finish the stage, arriving over an hour behind the leaders. That evening, FIA stewards informed him of his disqualification, according to News.ro.

This marks Sébastien Loeb’s third withdrawal in nine Dakar appearances, following withdrawals in 2018 and 2021. Loeb’s withdrawal came a day after defending champion Carlos Sainz also retired due to similar roll cage damage on his Ford.

As a result of Loeb’s withdrawal, Nasser Al-Attiyah now takes over as the leader of the Dacia Sandriders team.

The Dacia Sandriders team later announced that it decided to appeal Sébastien Loeb's disqualification from the Dakar Rally. However, as the appeal does not have a suspensive effect, he is not allowed to continue the race.

“Dacia Sandriders argued that calculations had been performed to assess the structure of the car’s safety cage, concluding that the deformed section was not integral to the structure's overall strength and therefore did not compromise the car's safety. While safety remains a paramount concern, Dacia Sandriders share the disappointment of Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin regarding the stewards' decision and have decided to file an appeal,” the team announced.

The 2025 Dakar Rally consists of 5145 timed kilometres across 12 days of intense competition. Starting in Bisha in the west of Saudi Arabia, the event ends in Shubaytah to the east via a rest day in Hail and an overnight halt in the capital Riyadh. Included in the itinerary is the 48H Chrono stage covering a punishing 971 competitive kilometres, Dacia added.