AlUla, Saudi Arabia – In an impressive comeback, local driver Yazeed Al Rajhi surged back into the top three of the Dakar Rally on Wednesday, showcasing his dominance during the event’s fourth stage held in Saudi Arabia.
Starting in 18th position in Al Henakiyah, Al Rajhi quickly took the lead at the first time checkpoint. He maintained this pace throughout the grueling 415-kilometer (258-mile) route that took racers through challenging volcanic landscapes toward AlUla.
Driving his Toyota, Al Rajhi outperformed Henk Lategan’s Toyota, finishing the stage almost five minutes ahead, which allowed him to close the gap on Lategan’s overall lead, bringing it down to under seven minutes. This strong performance came after Al Rajhi dealt with a four-minute penalty for speeding the previous day, which had placed him fourth in the overall standings.
This year marks Al Rajhi’s 11th participation in the Dakar Rally; he previously reached the podium with a third-place finish in 2022. With this stage win, he has now achieved a total of eight victories in individual stages and has received significant support from fans in Saudi Arabia, especially as he has consistently been among the top contenders in the world rally-raid championship over the last two years.
Mattias Ekström remained in third place overall, but the Swedish driver saw his time diminish significantly, losing over 12 minutes, which now leaves him nearly 22 minutes behind Lategan. The day was particularly challenging for five-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah, who began the stage in second place but dropped to seventh due to mechanical issues. After a punctured tire and a broken rear suspension arm, Al-Attiyah ended the stage 45 minutes down but managed to cut that deficit to 33 minutes by the finish line, stating, “My only option is to attack.”
Overall, Al-Attiyah now trails Lategan by almost 36 minutes, while other former champions like Giniel de Villiers find themselves over two and a half hours off pace. Nani Roma is facing a difficult situation after being handed a considerable 52-hour penalty that relegated him to a support role.
In a significant turn of events, one-time champion Sebastien Loeb had to withdraw from the competition when his vehicle was deemed unfit for racing in the morning inspection due to damage incurred during a roll the previous day. Similarly, the four-wheel debut of Toby Price and Sam Sunderland, both experienced bikers with two titles under their belts, also seems to be at an end as they required assistance just under 100 kilometers from the finish line, starting the day in sixth place overall.
On the motorbike side, Australian rider Daniel Sanders solidified his lead in the overall standings after becoming the first of his kind in four years to claim four stages within a single Dakar Rally. He benefited from a tactical decision made by Spain’s Tosha Schareina, who led for approximately 200 kilometers before deliberately easing off near the end to allow Sanders to cross the finish line first by just 15 seconds.
Schareina explained that his intention was to avoid revealing the best path ahead of Friday’s 428-kilometer route toward Ha’il and the continuation of the two-day marathon stage. Sanders expressed his understanding of the situation, referring to it as “a little bit of cat and mouse at the end.” He emphasized the importance of maintaining his overall lead after losing significant time the previous day, stating that he faces renewed pressure to navigate effectively in the days ahead amidst this challenging terrain.
Currently, Sanders’ KTM holds a lead of over 13 minutes over Schareina’s Honda while Ross Branch on his Hero trails in third place by 26 minutes. Three more Hondas, including defending champion Ricky Brabec, closely follow with only a few minutes separating them.
