ALULA, Saudi Arabia — In his first participations on the Dakar in the Challenger class, Seth Quintero picked up 20 stage victories over three editions (2021, 2022 and 2023), although he never managed to triumph outright in the class.
His move up to the top division really bore fruit last year with two stage wins and a final place in the top 10, which was a first for a 22-year-old driver.
The youngster seems determined to continue his progress and today, in the majestic setting of AlUla, he claimed his third stage victory in the Ultimate class behind the wheel of a Toyota Hilux T1+.
The American, alongside his new navigator Andrew Short, almost achieved a double whammy, falling only 7’’ short of Nasser Al Attiyah in the general rankings.
The Qatari posted merely the 8th best time but will benefit from this advantageous position to tackle a loop stage including tricky navigation tomorrow. Furthermore, it is the first time that he has occupied the top of the race hierarchy since the day of his 5th outright triumph, in 2023. The Dacia team, which made its debut on last year’s edition, is also sharing in this success.
In the day’s top three, two of the unluckier drivers at the beginning of the rally made an appearance: Henk Lategan (2nd, 1’42’’ behind the winner) and Yazeed Al Rajhi (3rd, 1’56’’ behind Quintero), namely the winner and runner-up of the Dakar 2025, but in reverse order.
The following places were occupied by drivers not so used to such heights in the rankings, with Toby Price in 4th, followed by Joao Ferreira in 5th – rounding of a Toyota festival in the top 5 – and Simon Vitse in his two-wheel drive Optimus in 6th, the day’s best privateer, with the added bonus of finishing ahead of none other than Sébastien Loeb (7th).
