“We've got it right”
CREW FACTS…
N.A.A.
- Nasser Al Attiyah pursued his two passions at the highest level for a long time: motor racing and ball trap. However, after participating in six Olympic Games and winning bronze in London in 2012, he decided to devote his time exclusively to cars and the Dacia project, thus forgoing the Paris Olympics.
- The Qatari made his Dakar debut in 2004 behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi, with which he finished in 10th place. Since then, he has won with three different vehicles: a Volkswagen Race Touareg in 2011, a Mini in 2015 and a Toyota in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
- Al Attiyah will line up at the start of his 21st Dakar in a brand-new Dacia Sandrider with his sights set on a sixth title.
- Alongside Sebastien Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez, the 54-year-old father-of-two spent most of the year testing his new car while impressing throughout the W2RC season. Al Attiyah won his third consecutive W2RC title, adding to his five victorious seasons in the World Rally Cup, the forerunner of the World Championship. In fact, with the Dacia, which was making its first official outing, he won the Rallye du Maroc, the season's final round.
- After participating in the last ten Dakars with Mathieu Baumel, with whom he won four of his five titles, Al Attiyah has decided to part company with his co-driver and team up with another French navigator, Edouard Boulanger.
E.B.
- A trained engineer, Edouard Boulanger competed in his first Dakar on a motorbike in 2011 but did not finish.
- The Frenchman then specialised in navigation and became a talented mapman for the KTM and Toyota teams.
- He took the right-hand seat for the first time in 2014 with Australian Geoff Olholm (retirement) before joining Stéphane Peterhansel at Mini. For his first attempt in a leading vehicle, he won the 2021 Dakar. The Frenchmen continued to race together at Audi but with less success.
- Following the withdrawal of the German carmaker, this accomplished triathlete was selected by Nasser Al Attiyah for the 2024 season. It's a partnership working perfectly: three wins this year and a W2RC world championship title for both driver and co-driver.
AMBITION 2025
N.A.A. “I'm delighted to be a member of the Dacia family, and it's great to be taking part in the Dakar with such a brand. We seem to be heading in the right direction. There are just a few small details to sort out before we can move on to the next phase. The Rallye du Maroc was a pleasant surprise, even for me, as it was the first time we'd competed with the Sandrider. The car works very well. We'd had the opportunity to come to Morocco three times for testing. We're trying to gather as much information as possible so that we can do everything right for the Dakar.
The victory in Morocco and this world title for the first race with Dacia, we really couldn't have dreamt of anything better. The 2024 season wasn't necessarily easy after we retired from the Dakar. We've put that right, and I'm super pleased with our performance here. We're going to continue developing the Sandrider so that we arrive at the Dakar on top. We're going to try to win in the first year.”
E.B. : “It's not a new chapter, but a new book opened for me this year. Changing team, driver, car, environment, and communication language was no mean feat! The culture is also different because a Qatari has nothing in common with a Frenchman regarding his way of life and history. I had to reset and start from scratch. I've been through many emotions this year, and I only have fond memories of it. Only in Argentina did I have a bitter taste because we took too many penalties. Apart from that, we had a perfect season.
The W2RC title is the culmination of a great season with Nasser. It wasn't an easy season, even if, on paper, we didn't make any mistakes, either Nasser or myself. There was great competition, with Sainz, De Mévius, Moraes, and Al Rajhi, right to the end. It was intense! It's fantastic to start the Dacia adventure in this way! It gives the team a real boost for the coming months. It's also a just reward for all the sacrifices they've made recently because they've spared no effort. It's a big boost for us; it gives me a feeling of a job well done. But we'll never be complacent, and our opponents won't be watching us work with their arms folded. It doesn't matter that we won Morocco; the Dakar is still an extremely long and demanding event.”
