SHUBAYTAH, Saudi Arabia — Henk Lategan and Yazeed Al-Rajhi are engaging in a fierce rivalry for their inaugural title at the Dakar Rally, with the two competitors exchanging the lead for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.
The South African driver Lategan is ahead of his Saudi counterpart Al-Rajhi by a margin of 2 and a half minutes as they approach the penultimate stage in the Empty Quarter’s challenging dunes. The final stage set for Friday will merely be a ceremonial drive to conclude the event in Shubaytah.
Prior to the 10th stage, Al-Rajhi had a comfortable lead of seven minutes. However, he encountered difficulties during a complex 120-kilometer loop situated south of Shubaytah, causing him to get stuck and return the overall lead to Lategan.
“We got stuck because we were taking it easy,” Al-Rajhi commented. “Everything is going well, and that’s the most important part. I believe I’m in a good position, so I hope to maintain that.”
Lategan also chose to play it safe and managed to avoid complications, finishing 10th in the stage while gaining crucial minutes on those trailing behind him.
“It wasn’t our intention to race quickly today,” Lategan stated.
As they enter Thursday, Lategan will start in 10th position, while Al-Rajhi will take off in 27th, allowing them to capitalize on the tracks made by drivers ahead of them.
In third place, Mattias Ekström fell behind by an additional two minutes, leaving him 27 minutes off the lead. Five-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah lost five minutes during the stage, putting him in a precarious situation at 30 minutes behind the frontrunners.
Al-Attiyah, the sole former champion still in contention for the title, found himself off course just nine kilometers in.
“I’m extremely disappointed, but there’s not much more to be done,” Al-Attiyah expressed. “We had a good pace but unfortunately lost significant time. This has been the most disheartening day of my life.”
Nani Roma from Spain, who is one of only three individuals to have won the Dakar in both a car (2014) and on a motorcycle (2004), achieved his first stage victory in nine years, finishing just 18 seconds ahead of Brazil’s Lucas Moraes, with South Africa’s Brian Baragwanath claiming third place.
In the motorbike category, Australian rider Daniel Sanders is on the verge of claiming his first Dakar title, showcasing his dominance from stage one. Although he finished fourth in the 116-kilometer stage, he successfully maintained a lead of approximately two minutes over his closest competitors, Spain’s Tosha Schareina and France’s Adrien van Beveren.
Sanders now has an impressive advantage of 16 and a half minutes over Schareina, the largest lead observed throughout the rally so far.
“Tomorrow is primarily about survival and just making it through,” Sanders remarked. “I’m feeling good about my navigation; I was opening up the course a little bit, and it felt nice. I’m prepared for what lies ahead.”
Portugal’s Rui Gonçalves clinched his first stage victory in his fifth Dakar by finishing nearly four minutes ahead of Slovakia’s Stefan Svitko, with American competitor Skyler Howes rounding out the top three.