Solid points haul for TGR on Stage 4 of 2022 Rally of Morocco
- Third on Stage 4 for Nasser and Mathieu
- W2RC lead increased by 3 points
- One stage remains in 2022 Rally of Morocco
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel consolidated their third position in the overall standings of the 2022 Rally of Morocco during Stage 4 of the 5-stage event. The pair drove their Dakar-winning GR DKR Hilux T1+ to a third-place finish on the stage, despite opening the route in challenging wind conditions, and suffering one mid-stage puncture. This added three valuable points to their World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) tally, increasing their lead in the championship standings.
Stage 4 saw the rally move from the bivouac at Laayoune to the town of Tan Tan, covering a timed section of 350 km, with a 209 km liaison. This brought the total milage for the day to 559 km, while the total distance covered by the event thus far moved up to nearly 2,000 km.
Extremely windy conditions made visibility a challenge during the stage, and with Nasser and Mathieu the first car into the stage, by virtue of their victory on Stage 3, it was a challenging set of circumstances than allowed their nearest competitors to close the gap on the stage results somewhat. Despite the tough conditions, Nasser and Mathieu completed the stage just 2min 30sec behind the winners, Yazeed Al Rajhi and Dirk von Zitzewitz, driving a privately entered Toyota Hilux. This was good enough for third place on the day, setting them up in a good position to attack on the final stage.
All that remains in the 2022 Rally of Morocco is a 185 km-long stage, stretching between Tan Tan and the coastal city of Agadir. The final day of the rally will also include a liaison of 189 km, bringing the overall distance covered by the event to 2,330 km, including 1,506 km of timed stages. The Rally of Morocco is the penultimate event in the inaugural W2RC, with the Rally of Andalusia following later in October, 2022.
QUOTES:
Glyn Hall, Team Principal:
“Today was a day of consolidation for Nasser and Mathieu. They had only one puncture, but the windy conditions made the stage tricky in places. In the end, we are pleased with their third-place finish, as well as the points they earned as a result.”
Nasser Al-Attiyah:
“This rally has proven to be extremely tough, and any day with just one or two punctures is a good day. Today, we were the first car into the stage, and had to pick our way through the landscape with care. As such, I’m happy to have finished on the stage podium, and earning the points that go with it.”
Mathieu Baumel:
“Opening a rally-raid stage is never a straight-forward job, and there are many pitfalls in terms of navigation. Today’s very windy conditions made things even harder than normal, and it was inevitable that we would lose some time. Even so, third place is a good result, and we look forward to tomorrow’s final stage to Agadir.”
STAGE 4 RESULTS:
1. Y. Al Rajhi (SAU) / D. Von Zitzewitz (DEU) Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux 3:11:40
2. G. Chicherit (FRA) / A. Winoq (FRA) GCK Motorsport Hunter +1min 30sec
3. N. Al-Attiya (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) TOYOTA GAZOO Racing TGR DKR Hilux T1+ +2min 30sec
4. O. Terranova (ARG) / A. Haro Bravo (ESP) Bahrain Raid Extreme Hunter +10min 40sec
5. S. Halpern (ARG) / Br. Graue (ARG) X-Raid MINI MINI +22min 8sec
CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 4:
1. G. Chicherit (FRA) / A. Winoq (FRA) GCK Motorsport Hunter 13:14:35
2. O. Terranova (ARG) / A. Haro Bravo (ESP) Bahrain Raid Extreme Hunter +9min 57sec
3. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / M. Baumel (FRA) TOYOTA GAZOO Racing TGR DKR Hilux T1+ +28min 37sec
4. Y. Al Rajhi (SAU) / D. Von Zitzewitz (DEU) Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux +40min 48sec
5. M. Prokop (CZE) / V. Chytka (CZE) Benzina Orlen Team Ford Raptor +55min 21sec
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