F1: Loeb and Al Attiyah to reignite rivalry – Gulf Digital News

F1: Loeb and Al Attiyah to reignite rivalry – Gulf Digital News

Frenchman Sebastien Loeb and Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah will reignite their burgeoning rivalry as they battle it out for top honours again at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge which blasts off to the sound of multiple powerful engines tomorrow.

Nine-time World Rally Champion Loeb, driving for Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX) and on debut in the Desert Challenge, will be looking to avenge his narrow defeat to Al Attiyah at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in January.

Following that first race of the inaugural five-round 2022 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (WRRC), Loeb lies second in the WRRC, just one point behind Al Attiyah. A win in Abu Dhabi would give him the lead with three rounds – scheduled for Kazakhstan, Spain and Morocco over the next few months – still to come.

The WRRC is the seventh World Championship which falls within the purview of the FIA, international motorsport’s governing body.

BRX are confident that Loeb can win the Desert Challenge, following the strong performance of the Prodrive Hunter at the Dakar Rally where the car won three stages, with Loeb and co-driver Fabian Lurquin securing another three second-place finishes.

Loeb, himself, is also brimming with confidence.

“It is good to be back in the