Lucas Moraes scores third Rally dos Sertoes victory

The 2024 Rally dos Sertões was a battle of T1+ machines because the Moraes household’s Toyota GR DKR Hiluxes squared off with defending winner Marcelo Gastaldi‘s Century CR7. Ultimately, Toyota was on prime with Lucas Moraes.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver gained 5 of eight levels in addition to the Prologue to safe his third win in Brazil’s largest rally raid; he beforehand claimed the 2019 and 2022 editions. Fellow Hilux driver Adroaldo Weisheimer briefly took the general lead from Moraes by profitable Stage #3 earlier than rolling over the subsequent day; Moraes stopped to take care of Weisheimer however nonetheless gained the leg anyway.

Gastaldi prevented a full Hilux clear sweep by profitable Stage #6, however nonetheless trailed Moraes by 13 minutes. Moraes gained the final two days to extend the hole to sixteen. Whereas the final stage was the shortest, literal alarm bells went off when his Hilux misplaced “a little bit of energy” with twenty kilometres remaining, however the automotive was in any other case “excellent” and he reached the end “with none worries.”

His father Marcos Moraes joined him on the general podium forward of Carlos Ambrosio‘s Century CR6.

“Right this moment we simply drove alongside, loved ourselves and that’s it. Sending a kiss to my complete household who should be keen to look at,” Moraes stated on the end of the ultimate stage. “Three-time champion, it’s actually thrilling.

“Thanks to all of you within the press for masking this and us. Now, we’re going to Brasília to have fun quite a bit.”

Though Gastaldi got here up wanting a repeat, the runner-up added one other stout end result to the Century CR7, a brand new T1+ launched by Century Racing for 2024 that has loved sturdy performances in China and Morocco. For comparability, Ambrosio’s CR6 is a two-wheel-drive automotive that competes within the T1.1 subcategory.

The Can-Am Maverick R, one other new car to the cross-country realm for 2024, shined by profitable the Challenger class with Lelio Carneio with one other piloted by Oscar Santos third in school. Whereas it’s anticipated to be homologated by the FIA for worldwide competitors within the SSV class in 2025, the Maverick R was permitted by Sertões organisers for Challenger (which is usually reserved for race-built prototype side-by-sides).

Guiga Spinelli missed out on the T1+ podium within the début for his Mitsubishi Triton Final Racing, the primary T1+ automotive for the producer.

Just like the four-wheelers, the bike battle was a duel between a 2024 World Rally-Raid Championship common and the defending Sertões winner. Adrien Metge, usually an SSV co-driver, returned to his roots with a vengeance as he dominated the bike class to attain the win on his Yamaha WR450F. His brother Michaël Metge completed sixth within the UTV 2 class as Otávio Hort‘s navigator.

2023 bike victor Mason Klein, additionally a W2RC veteran, spent a lot of the rally making an attempt to maintain tempo with Metge. His hopes of a repeat have been dashed in Stage #3 when the centre bolt on his Honda’s triple clamps broke off and brought on the handlebars to lock up. He managed to finish the race on a excessive observe by profitable the final stage.

Klein’s earlier group DM Workshop fell wanting the highest 5 total as Guilherme Bissotto was eleven minutes again of Klein’s Honda team-mate Martin Duplessis.

One other W2RC competitor gained in Quads as Marcelo Medeiros beat Felipe Viana by practically three hours.

Seven riders took half as Malle Moto riders who raced with out help from crews. Jean Michel Zuchelli, who had TXAI Rally Workforce put together the bike prematurely, was the most effective finisher of the group. All however one had bikes from TXAI, with Marco Aurelio Lehmkuhl being the exception as he was on a Husqvarna 701 Enduro, a much more highly effective mannequin than the standard 450cc rally raid bikes. Nonetheless, Lehmkuhl was not the one particular person with a non-rally bike, not to mention solo, as Felipe Pereira used a Husqvarna TE 300 enduro bike. Felipe Limonta entered the rally on a Honda Sahara 300 journey bike.

The primary stage was cancelled because of a collapsed bridge.

2024 route

Stage winners

General outcomes

Automotive

UTV

Moto