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SHUBAYTAH, Saudi Arabia — Yazeed Al-Rajhi made history by becoming the first Saudi national to secure victory in the Dakar Rally, concluding the race in familiar territory on Friday.
After an arduous 13 days of navigating through desert terrains over a grueling distance exceeding 5,000 kilometers, Al-Rajhi edged out South Africa’s Henk Lategan by a mere margin of less than four minutes, marking the closest finish in 15 years.
In the motorcycle category, Daniel Sanders clinched the championship title, becoming the second Australian to achieve this feat, following in the footsteps of his mentor, two-time winner Toby Price.
Sanders dominated the competition by winning the first three stages and maintained his lead throughout, becoming the first rider since Marc Coma of Spain in 2009 to lead the rally from start to finish, which at that time was held in Argentina and Chile.
For a week, Lategan held the lead position amongst cars, leveraging his consistency. He seemed on track for victory after triumphant performance in the eighth stage on Monday. However, a navigation miscalculation on Tuesday allowed Al-Rajhi to take advantage as the race transitioned into the challenging dunes of the Empty Quarter.
Lategan quickly regained ground on Wednesday when Al-Rajhi found himself stuck in a hollow, but Al-Rajhi’s deeper experience with the dunes ultimately provided him with the winning edge on Thursday.
Al-Rajhi celebrated his victory at the 11th attempt after completing the final brief stage back to Shubaytah on Friday. His co-driver, Timo Gottschalk from Germany, secured his second Dakar title, having previously navigated Nasser Al-Attiyah to victory in 2011.
The final time difference between Al-Rajhi and Lategan was recorded at 3 minutes and 57 seconds, the tightest margin we have seen in the Dakar rally since 2010, when Stéphane Peterhansel narrowly beat Al-Attiyah by just 2 minutes and 12 seconds in Argentina and Chile.
“I am very, very happy to do it, it is not an easy race; it’s the toughest one that I’ve done in the last 11 years,” expressed Al-Rajhi. “Timo, my team, and I did an excellent job, as we always do.”
Mattias Ekström from Sweden finished in third place, trailing by 20 minutes. Like Al-Rajhi and Lategan, Ekström achieved his personal best in this competition, leaving five-time champion Al-Attiyah behind by 3 and a half minutes.
Al-Attiyah faced challenges during the rally, including a 10-minute penalty on stage five for the loss of his spare wheel combined with navigation issues. This was a significant moment for him, as it marked the first time in 18 years that he did not finish on the podium in a completed race.
Sanders, celebrating his win on his fifth attempt, previously ranked fourth as a top rookie during his debut in 2021. “When I emerged from the dunes… and spotted the bivouac, I was overtaken by instant chills. I felt super anxious, it was surreal,” he recounted.
“To have won both the six-day international enduro and now the Dakar means I’ve checked off all my career objectives. After three years filled with challenges, it’s rewarding to finally experience success; all the dedication has truly paid off.”
Completing the motorcycle rankings, Spain’s Tosha Schareina claimed a commendable second place, trailing Sanders by nearly nine minutes. France’s Adrien van Beveren, who placed second last year, came in third, almost 15 minutes behind, while defending champion Ricky Brabec finished in fifth, nearly 30 minutes off the lead.
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