With the premature exit of reigning world runner-up Yazeed Al Rajhi in the Empty Quarter and the risk of not seeing world champion Nasser Al Attiyah at the start of stage 10, the points to be distributed in Yanbu to the two headliners of the 2023 season will be nil or negligible. Carlos Sainz and Lucas Moraes are currently in the best position to start their bid for the 2024 world title on the right foot. But nothing is decided yet, and above all it promises to be an extremely competitive season. No more than one month after the finish of the first round, the W2RC caravan will already have a date with the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, a race won on its last three editions by Yazeed Al Rajhi, Stéphane Peterhansel and Nasser Al Attiyah. By the time they arrive in Yanbu, these three contenders will have made a worse start than the future leaders, who will be announced on 19th January. The desire for revenge will be simmering under the helmets of many, including some of the big shots, in the very near future!
