• With a solid return to the Dakar following his absence in 2024, Henk Lategan moved into the lead at the halfway point, added a stage success to his roll of honour and held steady until the ninth special when he suffered from having to open the way. Yazeed Al Rahji, who was trailing in the South African’s wake until that day, took two tries to get ahead of him and particularly make the difference on the loop around Shubaytah. The Saudi driver took revenge on the Empty Quarter where he was eliminated in 2024: on the eve of the finish, he had a lead of six minutes over his closest rival, which was sufficient to complete the rally with a lead of 3’57’’ and win his first title on his eleventh participation. Among previous Dakar winners, only Jean-Louis Schlesser was just as relentless before triumphing in 1999.
• Behind the duellists who featured at the forefront throughout the rally, the battle for the third step on the podium was contested by Mattias Ekstrom and Nasser Al Attiyah. The Swedish driver moved into third on stage three and never left the position. His consistency and stage victory in Shubaytah (on stage 11) helped to soften the blow of Carlos Sainz’s premature exit for the Ford clan, which left its mark on its first appearance on the Dakar. Ekstrom especially kept his cool in the face of attacks from Nasser Al Attiyah, whose rare mistakes made alongside Edouard Boulanger were sufficient to keep him in fourth place, from the marathon stage onwards. For its debut on the race, Dacia had to deal with the disqualification of Sébastien Loeb for safety reasons but can still be happy with reaching the finish, a stage victory and an honourable final position for its Qatari champion.
• X-raid also inaugurated a car, with the new petrol-powered Mini, though it leaves Saudi Arabia with meagre spoils: a stage win for Guillaume de Mévius, who had already lost all hope of battling with the best for the title, before a spectacular crash sent Guerlain Chicherit back to his home in the French Alps. The leading Mini to finish was brought home by Joao Ferreira, who achieved 8th position at the age of 25 years, but in a diesel-powered version.
• In the top 10 positions desired by many competitors at the start, a second Raptor driven by Mitch Guthrie broke into the ranks of the elite (with 5th place), while the switch to T1+ by Mathieu Serradori allowed him to improve his personal best by one position (6th). At the end of the day, sensations from young talented drivers were less visible than in the first week but with 7th place by 25-year-old Argentinean Juan Cruz Yacopini and 9th place by 22-year-old Seth Quintero, the Dakar youth have confirmed that the new generation of drivers is continuing to make steady progress. • Following the premature exits of Laia Sanz and then Christian Lavieille, Pierre Lachaume has proved to be the leading two-wheel-drive competitor, almost two hours ahead of his Spanish MD Rallye Sport team-mate Ferran Jubany.
Dakar Rally | Photo: Florent Gooden
