Qatari champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah led the demonstration round of the 22nd Moroccan Desert Rally, the third and penultimate round of the new RAID World Rally Championship, which will run until October 6 with 342 entries from 36 countries.

Al-Attiyah, with co-driver Mathieu Baumel in a Toyota Hilux, clocked 7 minutes 29 seconds, 8 seconds ahead of Saudi driver Yazid Al-Raji who finished second in a time of 7 minutes 37 seconds, while French driver Sébastien Loeb finished second, he finished third, 13 seconds behind Al-Attiyah with a time of 7 minutes 42 seconds.

Al-Attiyah is aiming to crown the Moroccan Rally title for the seventh time in its history by defending its title and leading the World Championship, one point behind Sébastien Loeb.

The rally will resume today in the second stage, amid great competition to determine the first places in this rally.

Behavior / Donia Haddad