DAKAR 2025: Local hero al-Rajhi wins, Loeb in the slamassel!

DAKAR 2025: Local hero al-Rajhi wins, Loeb in the slamassel!

In the middle of the exciting 47th rally Dakar in Saudi Arabia, KTM driver Daniel Sanders once again shows his dominance. On Wednesday, January 8, 2025, the Australian won its fourth stage, including the prologue, and expanded his lead in motorcycle ranking to an impressive 13:26 minutes. His closest pursuer, the Honda driver Tosha Shareina, fights hard, while the US title defender Ricky Brabec, Sanders' teammate, fell back to fifth with almost half an hour, like Südtirol News reported .

The situation is also intensified in the car rating. The nine-time rally world champion Sébastien Loeb, who temporarily received a continuation ban, also brought his team-mate Nasser Al-Atiyah into trouble. A tire damage and a later problem with the rear wheel suspension forced the driver, which had previously been second, to fall back on the seventh place. The local hero Yazeed al-Rajhi in the Toyota, which was able to shorten his gap to the overall leader Henk Lategan, secured the day victory to 6:54 minutes, reported Kleine Zeitung .

These dramatic developments during the rally lead to intensive competitions and strategies, while the drivers approach the end of the event on January 17th. The tension remains high and the complications in the field of participants open up new opportunities for the pursuers.