Carlos Sainz’s decision to start at the front today turned out to be a poor choice in hindsight. The Spaniard crashed his Ford Raptor in the dunes, losing approximately an hour on the first day of the 48-hour stage of the Dakar Rally. Meanwhile, Yazeed Al Rajhi and Nasser Al-Attiyah completed their first day quickly and seem poised to battle for the stage victory tomorrow.
It was a day filled with drama in the car category, with significant time losses among the front runners. Seth Quintero, Guerlain Chicherit, and Saood Variawa, who began the stage first, lost between 45 minutes and an hour to Al Rajhi. In addition to Sainz’s time loss, Sébastien Loeb also suffered delays due to technical issues with his Dacia.
Twenty-seven drivers reached the fifth overnight camp, including the provisional top three: Al Rajhi, Al-Attiyah, and Mattias Ekström. Toby Price is currently holding a virtual seventh place, an impressive result for the two-time motorbike winner.
The Dutch drivers experienced mixed fortunes during the first part of the stage. Tim and Tom Coronel reached the fourth camp, sitting just over two hours behind the leader. Maik Willems (+1:31:42) and Roland van Loon (+1:46:37) reached the third camp, their times relative to the fastest time at that point. Dave Klaassen (+2:15:17) and Stefan Carmans (+2:17:10) arrived at the second overnight camp. Rik van den Brink got stuck in the dunes, losing over two hours, and is spending the night at the first camp.
Challengers
Cavigliassio continued his strong performance from yesterday, starting fast and arriving at the fourth camp as the quickest driver. Paul Spierings sits in second, just 3:50 behind—a remarkable achievement for the ambitious Dutchman. Navarro holds the provisional third position.
It was an eventful day for the Challengers as well. Al-Kuwari, yesterday’s third-place finisher, lost significant time, allowing Dania Akeel to close in on the top three. Tomorrow’s continuation promises to be highly interesting.

Paul Spierings wasn’t the only one with a good day; Puck Klaassen, the young South African with Dutch roots, held a virtual 10th place and will spend the night in the third camp. Lex Peters reached the second camp in a virtual 23rd position, with Gert-Jan van der Valk in 31st and Richard Aczel in 37th.
Marinus Streppel appears to be facing issues, with the debutant stationary for several hours. The cause remains unclear.
SSVs
In the SSV category, Brock Heger and Xavier de Soultrait traded the lead throughout the day. By the fourth overnight camp, Heger had the upper hand.
Lopez and Ferioli encountered issues with their Can-Ams near kilometer 420, losing substantial time. This is likely to cause significant shifts in the SSV standings tomorrow.
The Dutch competitors both reached the first overnight camp, with Richard Grouwels in 21st and Sander Derikx in 22nd.
Continuation of the 48-hour stage
Tomorrow, the stage resumes at 6:20 a.m. local time, with competitors setting off one by one toward the finish. For some, it will be a much longer journey than for others.
Photos: ASO/DPPI and Puck Klaassen