The leader of the overall standings in the Dakar Rally, Yazeed Al-Rajhi, exited the competition today, Thursday, in a timed stage lasting 48 hours, as an accident dashed the Saudi driver's hopes of achieving his first victory on home soil. Carlos Sainz, the three-time Dakar Rally winner driving for Audi, topped the provisional classification in the car category, while defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah slipped to third place after the first day of this marathon stage in the Empty Quarter of the Kingdom.
Drivers faced a challenge today that spanned 549 kilometers over two days, with a mandatory halt at 4 PM local time. However, Al-Rajhi encountered an accident just 51 kilometers into the stage. Dakar Rally's website reported that an Overdrive Toyota car collided with a bump or clump of grass and flipped over, causing significant damage. The vehicle was returned to the starting point of stage six with no guarantee of its ability to continue into stage seven next Sunday following a rest day this coming Saturday.
Al-Rajhi began the day with a nine-minute and three-second lead over Qatari Al-Attiyah. Sainz appeared to be in a good position to secure his 43rd stage win at the Dakar Rally during his career, having surpassed Al-Attiyah’s Prodrive Hunter car early in the stage, which featured soft sands and sand dunes. The Spaniard started this stage in 17th place after deciding to slow down for strategic reasons on Wednesday, finishing the day four and a half minutes ahead of his teammate Matthias Ekström.
