Dakar 2025 – Stage 4: First stage victory for Yazeed Al Rajhi, Nasser Al-Attiyah loses ground

Stéphane Peterhansel absent this year, Carlos Sainz and Sébastien Loeb forced to abandon just a few days after the start,… The Dakar 2025 definitely doesn’t want the legends of motorsport this January. And it proved it again today by putting the five-time winner of the event, Nasser Al-Attiyah, in difficulty.

The only Dacia driver still in contention for victory, the Qatari, co-piloted by Frenchman Edouard Boulanger, had a tough day with two stops on the track for different reasons. First at kilometer 97 for a flat tire, then at kilometer 118 to repair a broken suspension arm. The crew of Sandrider number 200 had to wait for Cristina Gutierrez and her co-driver Pablo Moreno to come to their aid.

Outcome: more than half an hour lost for Al-Attiyah and dwindling chances of overall victory, although nothing is lost yet. To achieve this, he will need to catch up with the Toyota pack that has been flawless in winning stages since the start of the rally. After Henk Lategan, Seth Quintero, Rokas Baciuska, and Saood Variawa, it’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi’s turn to record the best time in a special stage.

Despite several punctures, the Saudi attacked flat out and closed to within seven minutes of the overall leader, Henk Lategan, who finished second in today’s stage. Finally, it is worth noting the impressive performance of the Frenchmen Mathieu Serradori and Loic Minaudier, who hold fourth place overall in their Century CR7, two days before the rest day.

Stage 4 Ranking

General classification