Mattias Ekström had an excellent day in his Ford Raptor. Following teammate Nani Roma’s stage win the day before, it marked the second stage victory for the new team. Nasser Al-Attiyah finished second, just 41 seconds behind, while Yazeed Al Rajhi completed the podium, 1 minute and 45 seconds adrift.
The big loser of the eleventh stage was Henk Lategan. The Toyota driver finished fifth, 10 minutes behind the leader, and lost his position at the top of the overall standings to Al Rajhi. Lategan dropped to second, over 6 minutes back, while Ekström remained third, trailing by 22 minutes. With only one short stage left, Al-Attiyah’s hopes for victory appear dashed, as his navigational error in stage ten proved costly.
The eleventh stage was chaotic, with the start delayed due to thick mist. Any car that reached the refueling point after 3:00 PM had to complete the stage on the road, leading to delays in publishing the results.
The day started poorly for Dave and Tessa Klaassen. Shortly after the start, they encountered issues with their Red-Lined vehicle and were forced to stop. They managed to return to the bivouac and will participate in the final stage as Dakar Experience entrants.
Tim Coronel was the fastest Dutch driver, finishing 13th. Alongside his twin brother, he enjoyed the dunes, calling it the most beautiful stage they had ever experienced. Maik Willems was the only other Dutchman to complete the entire stage, finishing 46th after getting stuck several times in the second part.
Other Dutch competitors had to leave the stage midway, with their times adjusted by the organizers. Ronald van Loon finished 35th, Stefan Carmans 41st, and Rik van den Brink 42nd.
Challengers
The Challengers category was eventful, with uncertainty surrounding the results for much of the day. Yasir Seaidan claimed another stage win but remains out of contention for the overall standings due to issues in the first stage. The Saudi driver outpaced Pau Navarro by 5 minutes, with Dania Akeel finishing third, 7 minutes behind. Nicolas Cavigliasso finished fourth and is now on the verge of securing overall victory.
Cavigliasso leads the standings by 1 hour and 11 minutes over Goncalo Guerreiro, who struggled in the dunes and lost significant time. Navarro remains third, 1.5 hours behind. Corbin Leaverton suffered technical problems and lost considerable time, despite appearing poised for a stage win.
Puck Klaassen clocked the fastest Dutch time, finishing 9th. However, her engine change dropped her to 19th overall. Her primary goal now is to earn a medal, though she had hoped for a better result. Paul Spierings returned to the race and finished 10th, but starting from the back limited his impact.
Lex Peters finished 13th and is now ninth overall—a solid result so far. Richard Aczel finished 19th, and Gert-Jan van der Valk 22nd, making him the only Dutch Challenger to complete the stage. Marinus Streppel faced delays in the dunes and finished 34th.
SSVs
Sara Price claimed her second stage win, dominating from the first waypoint. She beat Francesco Lopez Contardo and Jeremias Gonzalez Ferioli to the finish.
Brock Heger finished fourth and remains on course to secure overall victory in his debut Dakar. His teammate Xavier de Soultrait received a severe penalty for covering the onboard camera, later retiring with mechanical issues. Heger now leads the standings with a margin of over 2 hours on Lopez Contardo, with Alexandre Pinto in third.
Roger Grouwels finished 16th and holds 8th in the overall standings, having avoided major issues throughout the rally. Sander Derikx faced difficulties early in the stage and finished 30th.
Mass start
Tomorrow marks the final stage of the Dakar Rally. The short 60-kilometer stage is expected to be a formality, starting with a mass start where competitors will set off in groups of four into the dunes. Upon reaching Shubaytah, it will be clear whether Al Rajhi, Cavigliasso, and Heger secure their victories or if Dakar throws in one last surprise.
