TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s dynamic duo of Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and France’s Mathieu Baumel made a triumphant return to the 2023 Sonora Rally, Round 3 of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), winning the first stage. Al-Attiyah and Baumel compete in the formidable GR DKR Hilux T1+ racing car, the same vehicle that secured them victories in both the 2022 and 2023 Dakar Rally.
Stage 1 of the Sonora Rally started and finished near the Mexican town of Hermosillo, covering a distance of 170 km, with a connecting distance of 165 km. Al-Attiyah and Baumel started as the third car on the road, following their win in yesterday’s Prologue event. This advantageous position allowed them to attack and eventually take a 27-second victory over the second-placed crew of Yazeed Al Rajhi and co-driver Timo Gottschalk, in a privately-entered Toyota Hilux T1+.
The terrain surrounding Hermosillo is characterized by a mixture of desert landscapes, rugged mountain ranges and arid plains. The Sonoran Desert, one of the largest and hottest deserts in North America, covers a significant portion of the region. The area has several types of vegetation, such as cacti, including the iconic saguaro, and other plants adapted to the desert.
Driving conditions in the region can be quite challenging due to the diversity of the terrain, including rocky trails, dry riverbeds and sand dunes. Competitors in events like the Sonora Rally must navigate these demanding conditions, which test both the drivers’ skills and the performance and durability of their vehicles.
With four stages remaining in the Sonora Rally, which concludes on April 28 in San Luis, Mexico, this victory moves the team closer to the championship leader. The experienced crew has already proven its capabilities by winning the 2023 Dakar Rally (Round 1 of the W2RC), but faced a setback after falling in the second round, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. They are now chasing the current championship leaders in the season standings, making a top result in Mexico crucial to their title defence.
Looking ahead, the second stage of the Sonora Rally will see the teams move from Hermosillo to the town of Peñasco, through a timed stage of 285 km. Links totaling 265km will link the stage with the start and finish bivouacs, presenting another challenging day for the competitors.
QUOTES:
Alain Dujardyn, TGR W2RC Team Manager: “We are very pleased with the performance of the GR DKR Hilux T1+ during today’s stage. The reliability and endurance of the vehicle on the challenging terrain of the Sonora Rally has been remarkable. This victory is a testament to the hard work and dedication from the entire team. , and we are excited to carry this momentum into the next stages of the rally.”
Nasser Al-Attiyah: “For us, the initial stage was very good. There was a lot of fesh-fesh, and the sailing was not easy. But Mathieu did a good job and in the end we managed to gain more than 2min 30s over our championship rival Sebastien Loeb. This is very important for us in the big picture, and we hope that we can continue to do the same in the coming stages.”
Mathieu Baumel: “I didn’t expect the stage to be as difficult as it was. But we had a good starting position, and in this case not opening the road was quite an advantage. I’m not sure what stage 2 is like, but I certainly hope it will be similar to the end of the initial stage, which provided better clues, making it easier to find the right route.”
PHASE 1 RESULTS:
|
CREW |
CLASS |
TEAM |
TIME |
|
| 1 | N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) / M. BAUMEL (from) | T1 | #201 – TOYOTA GAZOO RACING |
1:32:06 |
| 2 | Y. AL RAJHI (O) / T. GOTTSCHALK (GAVE) | T1 | #207 – OVERDRIVE RACES |
+0:27 |
| 3 | G. CHICHERIT (from) / A. WINOCQ (from) | T1 | #204 – GUERLAIN CHICHERIT |
+0:49 |
| 4 | S. LOEB (from) / F. LURQUIN (BEAUTIFUL) | T1 | #200 – BAHRAIN RAID XTREME |
+2:42 |
| 5 | S. HALPERN (ARG) / B. GRAY (ARG) | T1 | #205 – X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM |
+3:33 |
