Prodrive/Bahrain driver Loeb managed to cut the gap to outright leader Nasser Al-Attiyah to 38 minutes with a fine run to third place in the 395km test between Al Dawadimi and Wadi Ad Dawasir.
However, the results were up in the air until 20.45 local time as the FIA stewards investigated whether to penalise Loeb for arriving at the finish with one less spare wheel than he aad t the start.
The nine-time WRC champion, who got a puncture early in the stage, lost the other new spare wheel of his BRX Hunter before the neutralisation point at 191km when the hatch of the bodywork covering it opened on the rear side.
Article 51.4.1 of the Sporting Regulations of the 2022 World Rally Raid Championship states that “any wheel fitted on a vehicle or installed inside a vehicle during servicing must reach the next service park/Bivouac or the next Remote Service Zone. Under no circumstances should wheels/tires or parts be left inside or outside these zones.”
Although the stewards had…
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