Dunes and fog are not a good mix when the riders, drivers and crews have to start a special on the Dakar.
This morning, the Empty Quarter was full of dense mist, preventing the helicopters from taking off and ensuring the race’s safety. The delay of the start to the special while waiting for the skies to clear also incited the bikers to request that the stage be shortened, which it was, with the finishing line after 152 kilometers instead of the scheduled 308.
The change was particularly advantageous for Daniel Sanders, an amateur beekeeper, who was in a very favorable position ahead of the final stage.
Yazeed Al Rajhi made the most of every grain of sand to regain the lead in the general rankings from Henk Lategan, while Mattias Ekstrom consolidated his position on the third step of the podium.
On a special whose length was reduced by half, Tosha Schareina knuckled down and managed to make up 7’31’’ of the 16 minutes and 31 seconds separating him at the start of the day from Daniel Sanders, once the dunes were finally warmed by the sun.
The Spaniard reinforced his second place but will have limited possibilities of dethroning the leader on the 61-km final stage, which includes a grouped start.
Adrien Van Beveren had more than one reason to open the throttle in the desert. In the end, it all came to nothing in the quest to take second place from the speedy Spaniard, who achieved the day’s best time. However, he still had to stay off the brakes in order to keep hold of his third place in the general rankings, which was under threat from Luciano Benavides.
The man in form on the rally’s second week indeed finished in front of the Frenchman by 24’’, but stays in 4th place in the general rankings, 6’26’’ off the third step on the podium.
The series of success continues for Ford, who won their first stage on the Dakar yesterday with Nani Roma and tasted victory today with Mattias Ekström, who produced the best time in his Raptor and looks well set to achieve his first overall podium finish in the Ultimate class.
Nasser Al Attiyah’s objective today was again to battle for third place. He finished with the second-best time but is still more than 4 minutes from the podium.
However, the game of cat and mouse was fruitful for Yazeed Al Rajhi, who showed his skills in driving through the dunes to catch and then clearly distance Henk Lategan. The Saudi driver has chosen the best moment to regain the Dakar leader’s throne. The South African’s under par performance has left him trailing the new rally leader by 6’11’’.
Yasir Seaidan is the other Saudi driver who enjoyed the excursion into the Empty Quarter with a third stage victory. His hat trick has not affected Nicolas Cavigliasso, who has led the general rankings since the first day of the race and who now boasts a lead of 1 hour 11 minutes over Gonçalo Guerreiro, who is his closest pursuer.
Sara Price won a second special on the 2025 edition of the Dakar, with the added pleasure of beating her Can-Am teammate ‘Chaleco’ Lopez. The American has not disrupted the march to victory of Brock Heger, who still leads the general rankings.
However, Xavier de Soultraitin his Polaris has reluctantly tumbled off the second step on the podium, with the Chilean taking his place.
Martin Macik obtained his fourth stage success of the fortnight and took his lead to almost 2 hours 30 minutes over Mitchel van den Brink, allowing him to lose two and a half minutes per kilometer on tomorrow’s stage and still win. The Dutchman, in turn, will have to carry on keeping an eye on Ales Loprais, who is only 5’30’’ behind.
