Dacia Sandriders’ Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and Belgian co-pilot Fabian Lurquin compete in Stage 5 of the 48th Dakar Rally. AFP
Doha: Mitch Guthrie continued his strong Dakar Rally run by securing a second stage win in the Ultimate class, confirming his pace and consistency in this year’s event. The American completed the 371km timed return leg of the marathon stage four seconds behind team-mate Nani Roma, but a one-minute speeding penalty for the Spaniard promoted Guthrie to the top of the stage classification. Ford locked out the top three, with Roma second and Martin Prokop third as the Czech driver showed steady progress in the Raptor.
Toyota’s Henk Lategan faced a demanding navigational test after opening the stage without bike tracks to follow. Despite losing 12 minutes 43 seconds to Guthrie on the way to Hail, the South African limited his losses and retained the overall lead after one of the toughest stages of the week.
Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah finished the stage in 15th position but remained firmly on the overall podium. The top three in the general classification stayed unchanged, with Lategan leading ahead of Al Attiyah in second and Mattias Ekstrom in third. The first movement came in fourth place, now held by Nani Roma, who climbed up from seventh, moving ahead of Carlos Sainz. Guthrie made one of the biggest gains overall, jumping from 13th to sixth.
“It was not an easy stage,” Al Attiyah said. “From the start, we focused on managing the pace and avoiding mistakes, with no punctures. The navigation was difficult and there was no need to take risks. We finished the marathon stage and we are quite happy. From what I understand, we did not lose much time, maybe less than 10 minutes, and that is not a problem.”
In the bike category, the Benavides family celebrated another Dakar success in Hail, a regular stop on the route since 2020. Two years after Kevin Benavides won there in 2024, his brother Luciano claimed victory at the same location, finishing 3 minutes 51 seconds ahead of Chile’s Ignacio Cornejo. Australia’s Daniel Sanders placed third, 5 minutes 50 seconds back, but did enough to regain the overall lead.
Sanders, who led after stages two and three before being overtaken by Spain’s Tosha Schareina, moved back to the top of the standings with a 1 minute 59 second advantage over the Spaniard. American Ricky Brabec, the virtual leader for much of the stage, now sits 2 minutes 02 seconds behind, while Luciano Benavides climbed to fourth overall, 5 minutes 55 seconds off the lead.
