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HomeMotorsportsDakar Rally 2025: Sainz overturns, Loeb has technical problems

Dakar Rally 2025: Sainz overturns, Loeb has technical problems

Two co-favorites have to deal with setbacks on the first day of the 48-hour stage – Al-Rajhi leads Al-Attiyah in the intermediate standings

The second long day of the Dakar Rally already saw the first part of a 48-hour stage. The competitors covered more than 600 kilometers in Saudi Arabia. It was the expected acid test.

Carlos Sainz rolled over and was then able to continue with his damaged Ford. The title defender lost about an hour. Sebastien Loeb lost about half an hour with engine problems on his Dacia.

In the intermediate standings, the stage will be completed on Monday, local hero Yazeed Al-Rajhi is in the lead. Sitting alongside him in the Toyota is German Timo Gottschalk. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) also got through the day well and is currently in second place.

The so-called 48h Chrono will be driven over two days, north of Bischa. There are separate routes for motorcycles and cars. The special stage for the cars covers a total of 971 kilometers over both days.

Depending on how far a driver gets, there are six different camps in the desert. At 5:00 p.m. local time, the next bivouac had to be approached. The six camps are located between kilometer 491 (zone A) and kilometer 671 (zone F).

Laia Sainz was no longer at the start. The roll cage of her Century was damaged in the rollover on stage 1. The tolerance of a strut was exceeded by two millimeters. The FIA commissioners did not allow her to start. This was the first time that Sanz retired from the Dakar.

Stage 2A, as it was called on Sunday, was opened by Toyota driver Seth Quintero. Sainz started in eighth place, Al-Attiyah in 19th and Loeb in 23rd. There was also a special rule for the cars today, namely a permitted “pit stop”.

Since the terrain was very hard and rocky at the beginning of the special stage, there was a short, neutralized section after 168 kilometers. Mechanics were allowed to wait and change tires there. This was not mandatory. Each team could decide whether to take advantage of this opportunity.

Even before this section was reached, Saood Variawa, who was third yesterday, spent half an hour repairing damage to his Toyota. Al-Rajhi led the intermediate standings in the first section.

Carlos Sainz is on the roof in the dunes

A belt of dunes between kilometers 240 and 290 proved decisive. After this section, Al-Attiyah led the intermediate stage ahead of Al-Rajhi and Loeb. In the virtual overall classification, Al-Attiyah had closed the gap to within one minute of Sainz at this point.

But then a crucial scene unfolded. At kilometer 327, Sainz rolled over during a jump. The Spaniard and co-driver Lucas Cruz remained uninjured. But the Raptor was badly damaged, especially at the rear, and was lying on its roof.

They waited for teammate Mitch Guthrie to help them get the Ford back on its wheels. Finally, Sainz continued after about 25 minutes. Things went better for Dacia at first. After 325 kilometers, Al-Attiyah and Loeb led the intermediate standings.

But Al-Rajhi also pressed down on the accelerator. By kilometer 373, the local hero had made up six minutes on Al-Attiyah and took the virtual lead in the day’s standings at the split time, two minutes ahead of Sandrider.

Sebastien Loeb also loses a lot of time

Loeb also lost several minutes. It turned out that there was a problem with his engine. He was at kilometer 409. Teammate Cristina Guttierez came to his aid. After almost ten minutes, Loeb continued, then stopped again and finally continued after all.

The Frenchman made it to the refueling stop at kilometer 413. At that point, Nani Roma (Ford) led the virtual classification, just ahead of Al-Rajhi, Al-Attiyah. Henk Lategan and Toby Price (both Toyota). Three Hilux against a Ford and a Dacia.

Al-Rajhi continued to make no major mistakes and led the intermediate standings by a narrow margin over Al-Attiyah even after 580 kilometers. The top drivers reached kilometer 618 by 5:00 p.m. local time and then headed for camp E.

At this point Al-Rajhi led the stage classification, one minute ahead of Al-Attiyah. Mattias Ekström (Ford) and Juan Cruz Yacopini (Toyota) followed, nine minutes behind. Rokas Baciuska (Toyota) rounded off the top five.

Loeb and Sainz also reached camp E with their time deficits. Sainz in particular had to try to make some provisional repairs to the damage. Quintero was the first driver to lose a lot of time on the route today, around three quarters of an hour.

When the drivers reached their respective camps, they packed up their tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, a food ration and water. They are on their own without their team of mechanics. The remaining distance will be covered on Monday. Today’s intermediate result is therefore only provisional.

Tomorrow, the drivers will start from the respective camp they have reached today. Motorcycles and cars will start alternately at 30-second intervals. At 7:00 a.m. local time, the first motorcycle will be sent on its way, followed by the first car and so on.

Provisional intermediate standings of leg 2A (Top10):

01. Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk (Toyota Hilux) – 6:52:31 hours
02. Al-Attiyah/Boulanger (Dacia Sandrider) +1:08 minutes
03. Ekström/Bergkvist (M-Sport Ford Raptor) +9:04
04. Yacopini/Oliveiras (Overdrive Toyota Hilux) +9:41
05. Baciuska/Mena (Overdrive Toyota Hilux) +10:23
06. Lategan/Cummings (Toyota Hilux) +11:01
07. Roma/Braco (M-Sport Ford Raptor) +13:52
08. Botteill/Murphy (Toyota Hilux) +13:58
09. Price/Sunderland (Overdrive Toyota Hilux) +16:15
10. de Villiers/von Zitzewitz (Toyota Hilux) +18:33

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