AL DUWADIMI, Saudi Arabia — During a tumultuous seventh stage of the Dakar Rally on Sunday, Henk Lategan saw his lead shrink to a mere 21 seconds as chaos unfolded in the Saudi desert.
An incorrect note in the road book at the 158-kilometer mark of the 418-kilometer loop around Al Duwadimi caused confusion among several competitors, leading some of the front-runners to drive in circles.
As a result, a 20-kilometer segment of the race had its time gains and losses eliminated. Although Lategan managed to be the first one to get back on track, he ultimately finished the stage in 15th place, nearly 20 minutes behind stage winner Lucas Moraes from Brazil, who is also a teammate at Toyota.
With Lategan’s rivals performing better during this stage, they were able to significantly reduce the gap to the South African. Yazeed Al Rajhi, who was second, slashed his deficit from over seven minutes to just 21 seconds. Mattias Ekström, in third place, improved his standing as well, cutting his 22-minute gap to just 10. Five-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah also closed in, getting within 22 minutes.
“There was one canyon where everybody was getting lost,” Lategan shared. “We were a bit apprehensive going into that area, seeing cars approaching from various angles in the mountains. Eventually, we navigated our way out of the canyon and went from about seventh on the road to first. We were leading for quite a while after that.”
However, a couple of minor navigation mistakes and an earlier puncture meant that it wasn’t a flawless day for Lategan. “We’re satisfied to have found that one waypoint, but overall, it wasn’t the perfect day,” he added.
Moraes experienced a solid comeback after suffering a mechanical issue that cost him three and a half hours on Saturday. Starting in 27th position on Sunday, he clinched his second career stage win, having finished third overall in his debut Dakar in 2023. “Starting so far behind, we were fortunate to have all the tracks to follow,” Moraes stated. “With nothing to lose today, we pushed hard. Winning another stage in the Dakar is really rewarding.”
Ekström and American Mitch Guthrie rounded off the podium in second and third places, respectively.
In the motorcycle category, Daniel Sanders reinforced his lead, extending it over 15 minutes after securing a stage victory. The Australian broke away from his closest rival, Tosha Schareina of Spain, approximately 100 kilometers from the finish, crossing the line almost four minutes ahead.
Schareina finished second and Chilean rider Pablo Quintanilla took third. Sanders made history by being the first rider since his fellow countryman Toby Price in 2016 to win five stages in a single Dakar.
“It was quite fast, very fast,” Sanders recalled. “It started off technical due to the rain, but that only affected the beginning. The speed felt good overall, making it a much better day.”
Before the stage commenced, former champions Dirk von Zitzewitz and Giniel de Villiers withdrew due to medical concerns. Von Zitzewitz suffered neck pain, which ultimately ended De Villiers’ impressive run of 21 consecutive Dakar finishes and eight podium appearances.
Additionally, two-time motorcycle champions Toby Price and Sam Sunderland, who were competing on four wheels for the first time in the Dakar, also had to withdraw for medical reasons.
