Major drama in the Dakar Rally – Ford drivers take charge, huge setback for Loeb

The overall order of the desert classic in Saudi Arabia was shaken up as several experienced drivers ran into problems. Victory on the 410-kilometre special stage went to Ford’s seasoned Spanish driver Nani Roma, who managed to avoid the worst mistakes.

Ford and the Spanish drivers now hold a one-two position, as four-time Dakar winner Carlos Sainz climbed to second overall. Sainz sits 57 seconds behind Roma.

“I had three punctures today. But I think everyone had problems today. From some point, we are positive to be here,” Roma said.

“These two days will be the crucial days. Now we’ll cross our fingers and we must be humble,” he added.

The trio leading the rally before Tuesday’s stage – Nasser Al-Attiyah, Henk Lategan and Mattias Ekström – all dropped behind the Spanish pair. Despite that, the top five remains relatively close, with Ekström just over 11 minutes off the lead.

Dacia driver Al-Attiyah and Swedish pilot Ekström both made navigation errors during Tuesday’s stage, costing them significant time compared to the fastest runners. Lategan, meanwhile, was slowed by a power steering failure, which was repaired during the stage.

Sixth-placed Sébastien Loeb also suffered a power steering failure. The French legend faced a huge challenge, as he was forced to drive almost half of the stage without power steering.

“We could have made a good move today, but we had to cover 180 kilometres in that condition. It was impossible to drive,” Loeb said, after losing almost half an hour to the stage winner.

In the overall classification, Loeb now trails the lead by 21 minutes.

Tuesday’s stage produced a surprise winner, as the fastest time was set by 21-year-old Polish driver Eryk Goczal, who benefited from a late starting position. It was a highly successful day for the Goczal family, with his uncle Michał Goczal finishing second on the stage, just under eight minutes behind the winner. In the overall standings, Michał Goczal sits 18th, with Eryk Goczal one place behind in 19th.

The Dakar Rally continues on Wednesday with a 420-kilometre stage. The rally concludes on Saturday.

Dakar Rally standings after stage 9/13: