The third special stage of the 2026 Rally of Morocco brought a new round of dramatic events for the Dacia Sandriders team. After the first two days of the competition were marked by severe technical problems for Sébastien Loeb and Nasser Al-Attiyah, hopes for the final victory were focused on the Brazilian Lucas Moraes. However, in an extremely tough final stage, the leader of the general classification suffered a serious accident, losing any chance of bringing the first triumph for Dacia on African soil.
After a remarkable run through the first two thirds of the special stage, the crew of Lucas Moraes and Pablo Moreno were on their way to decisively consolidating their lead. The Brazilian had been riding at an excellent pace and was on the verge of extending his lead to over 5 minutes at the top of the general classification.
The rally turned into a nightmare with less than 15 kilometers to go before the finish line. The Dacia Sandrider prototype hit a deep ditch at high speed, skidding sideways and overturning. The crew lost over two hours on the stage until the car was put back on its wheels with the help of teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah. Although he managed to complete the final kilometers and reach the finish line, Moraes fell dramatically to 24th place in the overall standings.
"It was definitely not the day we wanted. It was the perfect stage until it wasn't. About 15 kilometers before the finish we hit a very large ditch. It was marked as 'Danger 2', but at the speed we were going I think it should have been 'Danger 3'. I also misjudged the situation when I noticed it, I braked too late, the car skidded sideways and we overturned. We waited for Nasser, who got us back on our wheels, and now we are here. It's hard not to be able to finish the job, especially since we were the leaders of the rally and had a comfortable advantage. We will come back stronger tomorrow and try to bring more points to the team", explained Lucas Moraes.
The Brazilian's accident gave Spaniard Carlos Sainz Sr. (Ford) the opportunity to take over the lead of the rally. At the same time, the situation in the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) is becoming extremely tense, with American Seth Quintero (Toyota) in a favorable position to take over the lead of the general classification from Sébastien Loeb if he finishes the competition with a solid result.
The race day didn't go according to plan for the Nasser Al-Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin crew either. After being towed at the finish line in Stage 2 due to a transmission failure, the Qatari was slowed this time by a structural failure of the running gear.
Driving at the limit of his car's capabilities to make up for lost time in the early days, Al-Attiyah suffered a broken front-left suspension. Repairs and management of the problem on the test resulted in a loss of over 35 minutes from the top times. The former world champion now sits in 22nd place overall.
"The front-left suspension broke. We pushed the pace today and the speed was really impressive, but it seems it wasn't our day. But we still have two days of competition and we will try to get as many points for the championship as possible," said Nasser Al-Attiyah.
The only ray of sunshine in the Dacia camp was provided by Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger. After electrical problems on the first day took them out of the fight for the overall podium, the Frenchman demonstrated once again why he is considered one of the fastest drivers in the history of motorsport.
Loeb had a clean performance, without flat tires and with minimal navigation errors, managing to set the fastest time of Day 3. With this stage victory, the French crew accumulates precious points in the W2RC hierarchy and makes an important leap in the overall rally standings, climbing from 45th to 28th place.
"It was good. It was difficult, a very long stage, with many demanding areas for both the tires and the navigation. I made a few small navigational mistakes, but I reacted quickly and found the right path immediately. Overall, it was a good stage, with a solid, constant pace, no mistakes and no punctures. A successful day," said Sébastien Loeb.
| Crew (Driver / Co-driver) | Stage 3 Result | Overall Position | Causes / Notes |
| Sébastien Loeb / Édouard Boulanger | 1st Place (Stage Winner) | 28th Place (↑ 17 positions) | Flawless run; crucial points collected for W2RC |
| Nasser Al-Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin | ~35 min time loss | 22nd Place | Front-left suspension failure during the stage |
| Lucas Moraes / Pablo Moreno | >2 hours time loss | 24th Place (↓ from 1st Place) | Rollover at km 284 while leading the rally |
The competition enters its decisive phase with the 4th Stage, a 382-kilometer timed loop around Zagora. As the longest special stage of the entire Rally of Morocco, the route will test the cars' endurance and the crews' ability to concentrate to the maximum.
With no chance of the final overall victory, Dacia Sandriders' strategy will focus on achieving new stage victories and collecting every available point in the World Rally-Raid Championship economy.