Local favorite Yazeed Al-Rajhi won the second 48-hour stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on Monday, despite a speeding penalty, while South African Henk Lategan took the overall lead for the factory Toyota team.
Al-Rajhi, driving an unofficial Toyota Overdrive Racing, finished the 967km stage four minutes and 16 seconds ahead of Lategan, with Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah third for Dacia.
The Saudi received a two-minute penalty at the end of the two-day stage, and five-time Dakar winner Al-Attiyah a four-minute penalty, for exceeding speed limits in the desert.
That left Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings, winners of Friday’s prologue of the two-week event, four minutes and 45 seconds ahead of Al-Rajhi.
“Towards the end of the really long dune section, I got dizzy, had to stop and get out of the car for a moment,” said Lategan, who took over at the top from American teammate Seth Quintero.
“After the dunes cleared, I started to enjoy myself a little again.
“It’s actually a big surprise to be first because we haven’t really focused on that. But I’m happy with that. We’ve been playing a more strategic game these two days.”
Australia’s Toby Price and Britain’s Sam Sunderland, both double winners in the motorcycle category and now four-wheel teammates, moved up to fourth overall with Overdrive Racing.
Nine-time world rally champion Sébastien Loeb made an impressive recovery from time lost due to engine fan problems on Sunday to finish sixth for Dacia and almost 19 minutes off the lead.
Defending champion Carlos Sainz, who won with Audi last year and was hoping to chase a fifth title with a different fifth manufacturer, was an hour and a half behind Lategan after the 62-year-old rolled his Ford Raptor in the dunes on Sunday. . .
In the motorcycle category, Australian Daniel Sanders took his third consecutive stage win to take a 12 and a half minute lead over American Skyler Howes and Botswana Ross Branch third.
Defending champion Ricky Brabec of the United States placed fifth, 15 minutes behind Sanders.
Tuesday’s third stage, 495 kilometres, will run from the southwestern city of Bisha north to Al-Henakiyah. REUTERS
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