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Morocco Rally Boucle d’Agadir: REPORT 5

PEUGEOT 2008 DKR15+ crew Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena successfully reached the finish of their debut cross-country rally which, along with the additional kilometres clocked up by the new version of the car in the hands of Carlos Sainz, has helped Team Peugeot Total’s preparations for the 2016 Dakar.

Following the retirement of the PEUGEOT 2008 DKR16 of Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz on Thursday evening, Sébastien Loeb was the team’s only driver to start the last leg of the 2015 Rallye du Maroc. Today’s 236km test presented a variety of challenges, especially from the navigation point of view. Running third on the road, Loeb/Elena completed their adventure in Morocco with a puncture and time spent digging their vehicle out of sand to round off their first taste of cross-country rallying.

The kilometres covered by the team’s two crews have made a valuable contribution to Team Peugeot Total’s preparations for the 2016 Dakar, and work will continue next week with a busy eight-day test in Erfoud, Morocco, with the PEUGEOT 2008 DKR16. All four of the dream team’s crews will attend the session to further the new car’s development.


Bruno Famin, Director, Peugeot Sport


“The bottom line is positive because our intention in Morocco was to cover as many kilometres as possible. Although the PEUGEOT 2008 DKR16 was forced to retire on Thursday, there were many positives, including the performance of the new car. We won two stages and were leading yesterday, too. It was also a positive week in terms of reliability. There are still some problems to address, but one of our objectives was to spot them in a competitive context. The idea of running Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena in the other car was for them to gain experience. Although they didn’t quite make it to the end of Stage 1, they successfully reached the finish. On their way, they faced a variety of challenges, including extremely varied conditions and some complex navigation. They have been on a steep learning curve over the past five days but it was very useful!”

For further information, listen to Bruno Famin’s podcast at http://peugeot-media.com/audio.php?nav=1139&langue=en


Sébastien Loeb, PEUGEOT 2008 DKR15+ #312 (13th, +12m11s)


“This was our first cross-country rally and the result is pretty positive. We enjoyed ourselves and, as far as our performance is concerned, we showed that we can be competitive on smoother ground where the emphasis is on the driving. Things got more complex for us in the dunes and in the bush where you need to follow a heading. We also had a little trouble locating certain concealed trails, but the week has enabled us to see where our strengths and weaknesses lie. Now we know in which areas we have to work.”


For further information, listen to Sébastien Loeb’s podcast at http://peugeot-media.com/audio.php?nav=1139&langue=en

Classification Leg 5:


1.Giniel De Villiers (ZAF) / Dirk Von Zitzewitz (ZAF), Toyota Hi-Lux 3h09mn38s

2.Bernhard Ten Brinke (NDL) / Tom Colsoul (BEL), Toyota Hi-Lux, +50s

3. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS), Toyota Hi-Lux, +2mn49s

4. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)/Michel Perin (FRA) , Mini All 4 Racing, +2mn52s

5. Leeroy Norman Poulter (ZAF)/Robert Duncan Howie (ZAF), Toyota Hi-Lux, +3mn20s

13. Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Daniel Elena (MC), PEUGEOT 2008 DKR15+, +12mn11s