Can a driver who has gone home empty-handed from the Dakar still win the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship? Sébastien Loeb wants to answer an emphatic "yes" to that question. A rollover in stage 3 damaged the roll cage of his Dacia Sandrider. The news came out in the dead of night, leading to his third withdrawal in nine starts. The Frenchman failed to finish any stage in the top 5, leaving him with a big, fat zero on his account in Saudi Arabia. The nine-time world rally champion will have his work cut out for him in his bid to secure a tenth FIA title. While it is true that Nasser Al Attiyah managed to claim the 2024 W2RC crown after bowing out of the Dakar, at least he had scored 18 stage points. There are up to 235 points up for grabs in the remaining four rounds: 120 for the overall, 100 for stages and an extra 15 if the Power Selective Section is in place at each event, as will be the case in the Dakar.
