The fourth stage of the Dakar Rally would be very decisive, because it was a marathon stage. The participants received no help from the technicians along the way or at the finish, so they had to be careful with their equipment. Classification leader Mitch Guthrie opened the stage among the cars, but would be one of the losers. He conceded about 44 minutes.
Defending champion Yazeed Al-Rajhi, however, had much bigger problems. The Toyota driver was stopped at kilometer 234 with mechanical problems and appeared unable to make repairs. As a result, Al-Rajhi is removed from the rankings and can only continue in the Dakar Experience.
Furthermore, it was a very successful day for Toyota, because Henk Lategan made a huge impression. He was the fastest man from the second waypoint onwards and completely blew away the competition. Nasser Al-Attiyah finished in second place, but had to concede more than seven minutes ago. Number three Marek Goczal even faced a deficit of almost fifteen minutes.
Lategan also takes over the lead in the general classification from Guthrie. The South African has a lead of just under 4 minutes over Al-Attiyah, while Mattias Ekström occupies third place. The drivers will spend the night in a tent in the desert before the second part of the marathon stage starts on Thursday. The Coronel brothers are still on their way to the bivouac.
View the general classification below!
