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Motorsport

FIA to assess whether Loeb can continue Dakar after crash

Dakar (Person) FIA Sebastien Loeb the Dakar Rally

The FIA will carry out a thorough review of Sebastien Loeb’s Dacia to determine whether he can take part in the remainder of the Dakar Rally.

Loeb’s Dacia Sandrider landed upside down in the sand following a rollover at the start of Tuesday’s Stage 3 between Bisha and Al Henakiyah.

The nine-time World Rally champion was able to set off again after removing part of the damaged bodywork but lost an hour by the time he reached the finish line in his hobbled car.

Now, Motorsport.com has learned that the FIA will complete an evaluation to assess the damage and decide whether it is safe for him to continue the rally.

Reigning champion Carlos Sainz Sr had already been forced out of this year’s event after he rolled over his Ford Raptor on Stage 2 and damaged the roll cage.

In that case, the FIA had concluded that the deformation was beyond the limit set in the regulations and the structure may not be safe enough to protect the driver and the co-driver inside the cabin in case of a repeat accident.

Laia Sanz's streak of Dakar finishes also ended with mechanical problems and a crash on her Century 4x4. One of the bars on her car's roll cage was damaged and displaced by just two millimetres, forcing her premature departure from the event.

Loeb's Stage 3 troubles have dealt another blow to Dacia in its maiden Dakar outing, with Cristian Gutierrez already having to retire from the 48-hour Stage 2 due to a broken steering rack. She was eventually able to resume the rally after getting the necessary repairs done but is out of contention for a top 10 spot.

Five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah is now the only realistic contender for the Renault brand, with the Qatari driver holding second place behind Toyota's Henk Lategan going Stage 4 on Wednesday.

#219 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Sebastien Loeb, Fabian Lurquin (Photo by: A.S.O.)

Photos from Dakar Rally Stage 3

#4 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM: Daniel Sanders

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#47 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM: Kevin Benavides

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#204 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Seth Quintero

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#204 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Seth Quintero

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#219 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Sebastien Loeb

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#4 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM: Daniel Sanders

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#12 BAS World KTM Racing Team KTM: Bradley Cox

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#77 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM: Luciano Benavides

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#203 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Lucas Moraes, Armand Monleon

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#4 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM: Daniel Sanders

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#226 Ford M-Sport Ford: Mattias Ekström, Emil Bergkvist

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#200 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Nasser Al-Attiyah, Boulanger Edouard

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#4 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM: Daniel Sanders

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#204 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Seth Quintero, Dennis Zenz

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#1 Hero Motosports Team Rally Hero: Ross Branch

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#47 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM: Kevin Benavides

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#73 BAS World KTM Racing Team KTM: Edgar Canet

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#200 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Nasser Al-Attiyah, Boulanger Edouard

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#203 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Lucas Moraes, Armand Monleon

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#206 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Giniel De Villiers, Dirk Von Zitzewitz

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#47 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM: Kevin Benavides

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#77 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM: Luciano Benavides

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#210 Overdrive Racing Toyota: Rokas Baciuska, Oriol Mena

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#231 Overdrive Racing Toyota: Toby Price, Sam Sunderland

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#228 Ford M-Sport Ford: Mitchell Guthrie, Kellon Walch

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#219 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Sebastien Loeb, Fabian Lurquin

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#200 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Nasser Al-Attiyah, Boulanger Edouard

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#219 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Sebastien Loeb, Fabian Lurquin

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#219 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Sebastien Loeb, Fabian Lurquin

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#226 Ford M-Sport Ford: Mattias Ekström, Emil Bergkvist

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#212 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Cristina Gutierrez, Pablo Moreno

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#204 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Seth Quintero, Dennis Zenz

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#222 X-Raid Mini JCW Team Mini: Guillaume De Mevius, Mathieu Baumel

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#47 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM: Kevin Benavides

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#73 BAS World KTM Racing Team KTM: Edgar Canet

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#217 X-Raid Mini JCW Team Mini: Denis Krotov, Konstantin Zhiltsov

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#222 X-Raid Mini JCW Team Mini: Guillaume De Mevius, Mathieu Baumel

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#77 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM: Luciano Benavides

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#205 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Guy David Botterill, Dennis Murphy

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#68 Monster Energy Honda HRC Honda: Tosha Schareina

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#211 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Henk Lategan, Brett Cummings

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#10 Monster Energy Honda HRC Honda: Skyler Howes

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#606 Eurol Rallysport Iveco: Martin Van Den Brink, Rijk Mouw, Bart Van Heun

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#7 Monster Energy Honda HRC Honda: Pablo Quintanilla

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#42 Monster Energy Honda HRC Honda: Adrien Van Beveren

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#204 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota: Seth Quintero, Dennis Zenz

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#15 Sherco Rally Factory Sherco: Lorenzo Santolino

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#216 Overdrive Racing Toyota: Juan Cruz Yacopini, Daniel Oliveras

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#201 Overdrive Racing Toyota: Yazeed Al Rajhi, Timo Gottschalk

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#1 Hero Motosports Team Rally Hero: Ross Branch

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#319 Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team Taurus: Goncalo Guerreiro

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

#219 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Sebastien Loeb, Fabian Lurquin

2025 Dakar Rally - Stage 3

Dakar

52

In this article

Mario Galán

Dakar

Sébastien Loeb

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