Nasser Al-Attiyah wins Sonora Rally and takes the lead in the FIA Rally-Raid World Championship

• Qatari’s victory in Mexico takes him into the lead in the title race

• Sonora Rally marks turning point in Rally-Raid season

Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah has scored an important victory in the Sonora Rally, the third round of the FIA Rally-Raid World Championship. With this victory, Al-Attiyah takes the lead in the World Championship after the withdrawal of his main rival, Sébastien Loeb.

The race was marked by the retirement of Sebastien Loeb in the third stage, due to an accident that caused the fracture of his co-driver’s collarbone. This allowed Al-Attiyah to capitalise on the situation and take an important victory that puts him in the lead of the championship.

The competition in Mexico was a real challenge for the drivers, with very difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions. However, Nasser Al-Attiyah managed to take control of the race from the start, setting the pace and taking the overall victory with a 6:22 lead over Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rahji. Argentina’s Sebastian Halper completed the final podium.

After the results of the Sonora Rally, Nasser Al-Attiyah leads the championship with 136 points, followed by Yazeed Al-Rajhi with 106 points and Sebastien Loeb with 101 points. The next round of the championship will be the Kazakhstan Rally in June.

Al-Attiyah’s victory on the Sonora Rally was undoubtedly a major coup in the fight for the FIA Rally-Raid World Championship title. The Qatari driver has demonstrated his high level and his aspirations to retain the title.