Dacia has given up hope on nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb returning to the Dakar Rally following his forced exit from the event. The FIA had not authorised Loeb to start the fourth test of 2025 on Wednesday after the roll cage of his Dacia Sandrider was found to have been damaged in a barrel roll in stage three on Tuesday.

However, his team Dacia appealed against the decision overnight, meaning he could be back in action later in the week after skipping the test between Al Henakiyah and Al’Ula. It