CROSS COUNTRY – WORLD CUP CONTENDERS HIT PROBLEMS; TITLE FIGHT GOES TO THE FINAL LEG

Nasser Al-Attiyah and Stéphane Peterhansel had been each and every dealt blows on the present time, as Carlos Sainz took one other stage retract and Giniel de Villiers claimed the lead for Toyota.

The head of the Rallye du Maroc leaderboard and fight for the FIA World Cup for Negative Country Rallies title used to be changed into on its head on the present time as each and every Nasser Al-Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel and Stéphane and Andrea Peterhansel hit problems within the penultimate leg while retaining first and third positions respectively. Giniel de Villiers/Alex Haro now inherit the cease space from their crew-mates and secure a four minute 47 2d income over the MINI crew of Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz into the next day’s closing fragment. Mathieu Serradori and Fabian Lurquin secure the final provisional podium situation of their Century Racing CR6.

This day’s penultimate leg saw the crews kind out a shortened 311-kilometre fragment and World Cup leader Al-Attiyah looked comfortably positioned for a sixth consecutive Rallye du Maroc retract and fifth title. Alternatively, 205 kilometres into the fragment the Qatari used to be struck with an electrical wretchedness following an influence, forcing him to abandon the stage and be towed by fellow Toyota driver Erik van Loon. He has gathered penalties and has plummeted down the focus on in self assurance to 20th.

Al-Attiyah’s wretchedness looked space to enormously income title rival Stéphane Peterhansel, unless the Frenchman rolled within the fragment and dropped nearly an hour and a half of making repairs to the stricken MINI. Having achieved the stage, nevertheless, he and wife Andrea lend a hand fifth situation total and, trailing Al-Attiyah within the World Cup standings by nine points, their hopes of claiming the title rely on them deciding on up now not lower than 10 points for fifth on the attain the next day.

“It’s in the end a agreeable mistake from my facet,” mentioned Stéphane. “Lower than 20 kilometres sooner than the tip there had been two dunes and I believed on the appropriate it used to be extra modern, so I made a decision to pass right here to now not lose too powerful bustle. Nevertheless there used to be a cliff of 5 metres. The rate used to be 10/15 kph, in the end leisurely, but I used to be now not in a position to behold as a consequence of the bonnet and when I began to head down we crashed the automotive. The shock absorber used to be destroyed and I used to be taking into consideration it used to be accomplished. I’m in the end so disappointed because it used to be my fault and it used to be probably to retract the flee for Andrea and it might well per chance be in the end good for the crew. When we crashed I believed we lose the flee, we lose the World Cup, we lose every little thing. I even occupy gained lots of races within the previous, but with Andrea it’s in the end a lawful feeling and if we are able to retract something together…”

On the head of the leaderboard, de Villiers dropped nearly eight and a half of minutes to stage pacesetter Sainz and the scene is now space for an tale fight for victory between the Toyota and MINI drivers. They are smash up by four minutes and 47 seconds going into the closing kilometres. “We now must wander for it, Carlos will push,” mentioned de Villiers. “Some races are loopy! The fragment used to be beautiful good on the originate after which Al Rajhi caught us sooner than he picked up a puncture. We then saw Nasser and tried to succor, but there used to be nothing shall we carry out. We did a pass flip and did a further 15 kilometres, which I used to be upset about, and we decided to push like angry for the closing 60 kilometres. Then we saw Stéphane’s automotive on its facet, but they had been each and every k. It’s been somewhat of a loopy day.”

Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz claimed a 2d consecutive stage retract and the Spaniards climb from fourth to 2d with every little thing to fight for. “This might occasionally be fats assault the next day, nevertheless it’s a short day and you by no methodology know what can happen,” mentioned Sainz. “I’m happy with on the present time, especially as opening the freeway is by no methodology straightforward. We misplaced the freeway somewhat and got stuck in Stephane’s grime for loads of of kilometres, losing three or four minutes.”

Serradori achieved the fragment in fifth situation to pass up the leaderboard, courtesy of the concerns ahead, and the Century Racing CR6 driver heads into the final day in third.

He does nevertheless occupy a chasing Jakub Przygoński boring, the Pole and co-driver Timo Gottschalk 20 minutes additional adrift and finishing on the present time’s stage 2d to Sainz. “It used to be a tough stage with diverse stones, now not straightforward to search out the strategy and sizable challenging navigation,” mentioned Przygoński. “We had been misplaced in a single space however the automotive has been lawful. I’m unhappy for Stéphane but happy they are k.”

Yazeed Al Rajhi and Michael Orr occupy moved into sixth, despite 5 punctures within the fragment. Nani Roma continues his practicing in competitors within the Borgward and is seventh total. “It used to be a busy day with some navigation problems and a puncture,” mentioned Roma, who used to be fourth thru the fragment. “I’m happy to be right here, studying the complete time.”

Reinaldo Varela/Gustavo Gugelmin occupy now moved into the lead of T3 and are eighth total, nearly three minutes ahead of category opponents Aleksandr Dorosinskiy/Oleg Uperenko.

After gathering penalties for now not finishing the old day’s leg, Fernando Alonso and Marc Coma are down in 27th total, however the Spaniards had been seventh fastest thru on the present time’s fragment despite punctures and stopping to strive to succor crew-mate Al Attiyah. “We had too many punctures again, one within the liaison after which we realized one tyre used to be now not original and one used to be broken,” mentioned the double FIA Contrivance One World Champion. “It left us with one tyre to swap within the stage and at kilometre 90 we had a puncture and needed to pressure 210 kilometres to the tip and not using a spare wheels. It used to be a extraordinarily leisurely ride, I took it very straightforward. We saw Nasser and stopped and we took some tyres from him and took it straightforward to the tip. Within the occasion you intend the complete issues that came about, these 27 minutes [we lost] had been with out wretchedness recovered so shall we occupy achieved a extraordinarily lawful stage.

“Negative country is extraordinarily attention-grabbing how it develops day after day; problems to any person, problems to varied other folks in varied parts of the rally,” persisted the Spaniard. “So it’s factual a topic of getting the least problems, because continually you might well per chance also merely occupy some within the stage, but while you happen to might well per chance also merely occupy rather lower than the others in most cases you improve time. I’m playing it, but lacking lots of abilities and self assurance within the automotive on the original roads and I need extra kilometres; on the present time used to be lawful to occupy 300 roughly natty. It’s lawful abilities and optimistically the next day we’ll occupy a greater different to assault and occupy somewhat extra ride.”

The final day of competitors takes the crews from Erfoud over a 168 kilometre selective fragment back to Fes for the attain where the winners of the Rallye du Maroc and the 2019 FIA World Cup for Negative Country Rallies shall be topped.

Rallye du Maroc – Provisional results after Leg 4 (19: 04 hrs local)

List: @DPPI