Nasser Al Attiyah, with two consecutive victories in Abu Dhabi and Portugal, arrived in Argentina aiming to win the race and secure a third world title. However, Yazeed Al Rajhi, known for his tenacity, prevailed. After finishing third in 2022 and second in 2023, Al Rajhi is seeking his first world title. In today's duel, Al Rajhi defeated Al Attiyah, who faced suspension issues and received a 20-second penalty for exceeding the speed limit, increasing Al Rajhi's lead to 2 minutes and 20 seconds. Lucas Moraes, with a cool head, positioned himself third, while Seth Quintero lost time after getting stuck in a ditch.
Challenger Category
Rokas Baciuska described his day as "survival" on a slippery and winding terrain. With a 4 minute and 12 second lead over Nicolás Cavigliasso, Baciuska leads the race in Argentina. Marcelo Gastaldi and Dania Akeel from BBR are just over 9 minutes behind. In SSV, Yasir Seaidan had issues with his new engine, allowing Sebastian Guayasamin to take the race lead, followed by Rebecca Busi at 2 minutes and 52 seconds. Enrico Gaspari, penalized for speeding, is 4 minutes and 49 seconds behind the leader.
Lucas Moraes' Comeback
Lucas Moraes, after a wheel failure during the prologue, started in the last position. Despite the challenging track conditions in Córdoba, he overtook 18 of his 27 competitors, achieving a third place finish, 5 minutes and 51 seconds behind the winner.
Tomorrow in San Juan
The caravan heads to San Juan, where it hasn't competed since 2018. The bivouac will be at the San Juan Villicum circuit, which has hosted major events such as WorldSBK and ISDE. Tomorrow's stage, described by race director Pablo Eli, will start on mountainous and winding terrain, then become faster. With an unexplored salt flat section, dust is expected in the final kilometers.
Program:
- June 4 - Stage 2: Córdoba - San Juan (Liaison: 301 km / Special: 423 km / Total: 724 km)
- June 5 - Stage 3: San Juan - San Juan (Liaison: 137 km / Special: 341 km / Total: 478 km)
- June 6 - Stage 4: San Juan - La Rioja (Liaison: 254 km / Special: 412 km / Total: 666 km)
- June 7 - Stage 5: La Rioja - Córdoba (Liaison: 301 km / Special: 218 km / Total: 519 km)
Local time: GMT-3
