Record for Sébastien Loeb on the Dakar, with a sixth consecutive stage victory

It will probably not lessen his disappointment if he again misses out on victory in the Dakar on Sunday, but Sébastien Loeb has just made Dakar history by taking a sixth consecutive stage victory, his seventh since the start of this 2023 edition on January 1. A performance that had never been achieved on the event, launched in 1979.

Once again perfectly guided by his Belgian co-driver Fabian Lurquin, the Alsatian completed the 154 kilometers of this 13th and penultimate stage in 2h26’17”. At the wheel of his BRX from Prodrive, the Alsatian beat the Al-Attiyah-Baumel duo by 5’28”.

Al-Attiyah takes no risks

Well ahead, the Toyota team no longer takes the slightest risk since the problems encountered by its rivals in the first third of the race. With 1h21’42” ahead of Loeb, only a major mechanical problem could deprive the Qatari driver of a fifth success on the Dakar on Sunday.

Swede Mattias Ekstrom, the only Audi driver still in the race after the retirements of Peterhansel and Sainz, completed the stage podium. Overall, it is the surprising Brazilian Lucas Moraes who occupies this third place while two other Frenchmen are in the Top 10: Mathieu Serradori (6th) and Guerlain Chicherit (7th).

source site