SHUBAYTAH, Saudi Arabia — Henk Lategan and Yazeed Al-Rajhi are locked in a fierce competition for their inaugural Dakar Rally title, having exchanged leadership for a second consecutive day on Wednesday. Lategan from South Africa currently has a narrow lead of two and a half minutes over Saudi driver Al-Rajhi as they head into the 11th and penultimate stage of the grueling rally through the Empty Quarter dunes. The final stage, scheduled for Friday, will be a ceremonial drive into Shubaytah marking the conclusion of the race.
Al-Rajhi had been in a commanding position, leading by seven minutes before tackling the challenging 120-kilometer loop south of Shubaytah on Wednesday. Unfortunately, he encountered difficulties and got stuck, allowing Lategan to reclaim the overall lead.
“We were going cautiously and that’s why we got stuck,” Al-Rajhi stated. “Everything seems to be going well for me, which is what matters most. I believe I still have a good chance.” In contrast, Lategan adopted a similar cautious approach but managed to avoid obstacles, finishing the stage in 10th place and gaining valuable time on his closest competitors.
Looking ahead to Thursday’s stage, Lategan will begin in the 10th position while Al-Rajhi will start in 27th, giving them both the opportunity to push harder by capitalizing on the tracks of the drivers ahead.
In the meantime, third-placed Mattias Ekström saw his gap widen to 27 minutes, while five-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah dropped back to 30 minutes after losing around five minutes. Al-Attiyah, who remains the only former champion still in contention for the title, experienced disastrous navigation shortly into the stage, getting lost about nine kilometers in. “I am incredibly disappointed, but there isn’t much I can do now,” lamented Al-Attiyah. “Our pace was solid, but we lost too much time. This has been the most disappointing day of my life.”
In other news, Spain’s Nani Roma, a remarkable figure who has previously claimed Dakar victories in both car (2014) and motorbike (2004) categories, celebrated his first stage win in nine years, finishing 18 seconds ahead of Brazil’s Lucas Moraes. South Africa’s Brian Baragwanath finished in third place.
In the motorcycle category, Australian rider Daniel Sanders is on the verge of securing his first Dakar title after leading since stage one. On the most recent 116-kilometer stage, he finished fourth but extended his overall lead by approximately two minutes over Spain’s Tosha Schareina and France’s Adrien van Beveren. His lead over Schareina has now peaked at 16 and a half minutes, the largest margin seen throughout the competition.
“It’s really about survival tomorrow and just making it through,” Sanders explained. “I think I will manage fine; I felt confident with the navigation and began to open up a bit. So, I feel ready for what’s next.” Finally, Portugal’s Rui Gonçalves achieved his first stage win in his fifth Dakar, finishing nearly four minutes ahead of Slovakia’s Stefan Svitko, with America’s Skyler Howes claiming third place.