Intense tactics in Dakar Rally – lead changes hands again

On Wednesday, competitors faced a relatively short 120-kilometre stage over sand dunes, where strategic manoeuvring took centre stage. None of the leading drivers aimed for top positions in the day’s results, as it would have resulted in an unfavourable starting position for Thursday’s stage.

Veteran driver Nani Roma claimed M-Sport Ford’s first-ever stage win in the iconic event, but it held no impact on the overall standings. What mattered was Henk Lategan‘s 11th-place finish, which allowed him to reclaim the overall lead.

Toyota driver Lategan regained the top spot from Yazeed Al-Rajhi, who lost nearly ten minutes to the South African.

“We got stuck because we were taking it easy. Everything is going good, that’s the most important thing. I should have a good position for tomorrow,” Al-Rajhi commented.

Lategan now holds a lead of two and a half minutes over Al-Rajhi.

“It wasn’t the plan to go quickly today. We were actually going at a very nice and steady pace. Hopefully, there are some other guys behind us that were a little bit quicker so that they can open tomorrow,” Lategan explained.

Lategan’s wish was granted, but his closest rival, Al-Rajhi, has an even better starting position for Thursday. The penultimate stage may well determine the overall winner, as Friday’s final leg covers just 61 kilometres.

Swedish driver Mattias Ekström remains in third place, 27 minutes behind the leader. Close behind him is five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, who suffered a navigation error during Wednesday’s stage.

“I’m very disappointed, but what can you do? We could have had a great stage, but we’ll see what position we’re in and what we can do tomorrow,” Al-Attiyah said.

The penultimate Dakar stage, spanning 275 kilometres, takes place on Thursday, with the rally concluding on Friday.

Dakar Rally standings after stage 10/12: