Barring disaster for each of them, the 2024 World Rally-Raid Championship‘s SSV class will likely be a duel between Sebastián Guayasamín and Yasir Seaidan on the season-ending Rallye du Maroc. The 2 are separated by simply six factors within the closest factors battle of the seven W2RC courses.
Seaidan had led the standings through the first half of the season by being the highest-finishing SSV driver on the Dakar Rally and Abu Dhabi Desert Problem who was registered for factors. He was third at Dakar behind Xavier de Soultrait and Jérôme de Sadeleer adopted by runner-up in Abu Dhabi to Mansour Al-Helei, none of whom are signed up for the championship which due to this fact earned him the utmost 50 factors for profitable amongst W2RC drivers.
Guayasamín was 59 factors again following Abu Dhabi, however quickly closed the hole over the subsequent two rounds as Seaidan was knocked out of each by mechanical failures. This comes regardless of not being the W2RC winner in both occasion, ending twelfth (fourth amongst factors drivers) on the BP Final Rally-Raid resulting from his personal car issues and second on the Desafío Ruta 40. Reaching the top whereas Seaidan didn’t erased the margin solely, leaving Guayasamín with 161 factors to Seaidan’s 155 getting into Morocco.
Naturally, Guayasamín can safe the championship by merely beating Seaidan. Alternatively, Seaidan will want a little bit of luck; even when he wins to get 30 factors, Guayasamín ending second nets him 25 factors. This additionally applies in the event that they end second and third, whereas the hole is even slimmer between third and fourth at three factors, and so forth. Thus, Seaidan would additionally must financial institution on profitable levels whereas different points-earning drivers end between him and his rival.
One factor Seaidan has going his method is that the Rallye du Maroc primarily takes place in a desert, which the Saudi star is greater than aware of regardless of not operating the 2023 race. At Dakar, which has an identical profile to Morocco, he completed second to Guayasamín’s sixth. Moroccan outlet Sport7 described Seaidan as “one of many high contenders” owing to his “earlier expertise and information of the terrain, significantly the difficult sand dunes of Erg Chebbi in Merzouga and Erg Chigaga in M’Hamid El Ghizlane.”
Within the reverse nook of the ring, Guayasamín must play it sensible and don’t crack underneath strain. The Ecuadorian was frank about going into the finale with the suitable mindset too. He completed tenth in school within the 2023 version.
“We’ve been ready for a number of months because the final race, and the anticipation has been increase,” he defined. “My coach and psychologist inform me, ‘Sebastián, keep calm. We’ve completed this for a few years.’
“This race is a very powerful I’ll do in my life, a World Championship ultimate and competing for a world title. It’s tremendous necessary, however the thought is to benefit from the race. So, in these final three days, we’re easing up on the depth of the coaching to reach with a brisker mindset for the competitors.”
Whereas the main focus is on Guayasamín and Seaidan, Ricardo Ramilo and Rebecca Busi are nonetheless mathematically in competition even when their chances are high slim. Ramilo was the W2RC victor in Portugal and Argentina, however poor finishes at Dakar and Abu Dhabi depart him trailing Guayasamín by 20 factors. Busi has three straight podium finishes amongst eligible drivers and is 41 factors again.
The SSV co-drivers’ championship can be pretty shut as Fausto Mota is forward of Guayasamín’s accomplice Fernando Acosta by 11 factors. Nonetheless, Mota is not working with Ramilo after spending the primary 4 rounds with him and has as a substitute partnered with Fidel Castillo Ruiz for Morocco.
SSV is the one FIA class the place the highest two are separated by single digits. Nasser Al-Attiyah leads Yazeed Al-Rajhi by 25 within the premier Final class, whereas Rokas Baciuška has 44 on Nicolás Cavigliasso in Challenger. The bikes are additionally having fun with their very own shootout as Ross Department is forward of Ricky Brabec by simply 9 factors in RallyGP whereas Romain Dumontier is hanging onto an eight-point edge over Bradley Cox in Rally2. The Quad title was clinched by Manuel Andújar in Argentina.
The Rallye du Maroc will happen on 6–11 October.
