Stage 3 of the South African Safari Rally brought the field back from the Marathon Camp to Sun City, covering a total of 516 kilometers, including 253 kilometers against the clock. This concluding part of the two-day marathon stage was a true test of experience, speed, and strategy. Once again, Daniel Sanders (KTM) and Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) came out on top, securing their second stage wins of the rally after both taking victory in the prologue.
Al-Attiyah impresses, Loeb moves into the lead
Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandriders) won the stage with a time of 02:51:29, finishing five seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz (Ford M-Sport). Mathieu Serradori made a strong comeback after technical issues on day two and secured third in 02:53:58. The Dacia and Ford teams outpaced the Toyotas, as stage two leader Henk Lategan had to settle for fifth place, 4 minutes and 34 seconds behind.
Due to a time penalty for Lucas Moraes, Sébastien Loeb (Dacia) moved up to fourth in the stage results and took over the overall lead in the standings, now 23 seconds ahead of Sainz and 30 seconds ahead of Lategan. The top three are separated by just half a minute.
For the Dutch teams, stage 3 brought mixed fortunes. Rik van den Brink and Gydo Heimans finished 30th overall in their Century, only 27 minutes off the stage winner. Dave and Tessa Klaassen followed shortly after in 36th.
It was a tough day for Rients Hofstra and Wade Harris, who suffered mechanical issues and were handed a 16-hour time penalty, dropping them far down the order. In the SSV category, Wouter Rosegaar and British driver Richard Aczel finished 34th, 35 minutes behind the class winner.
Top 5 Cars – Stage 3
- Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT, Dacia) – 02:51:29
- Carlos Sainz (ESP, Ford) – +02:05
- Mathieu Serradori (FRA, Century) – +02:29
- Sébastien Loeb (FRA, Dacia) – +03:22
- Henk Lategan (RSA, Toyota) – +04:34
Sanders makes history, Canet dominates Rally2 again
Australian rider Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM) once again proved unbeatable, securing his 18th W2RC stage win in 03:06:46. Luciano Benavides finished second, 1 minute and 37 seconds behind, followed by Ross Branch, who bounced back from earlier setbacks.
In Rally2, Edgar Canet (Red Bull KTM) claimed another win, ahead of Michael Docherty and Ruy Barbosa. Dutch rider Ian Olthof placed 14th in Rally2 with a time of 04:05:00, holding his ground despite physical and mechanical challenges.
Top 5 Bikes – Stage 3
- Daniel Sanders (AUS, KTM) – 03:06:46
- Luciano Benavides (ARG, KTM) – +01:37
- Ross Branch (BOT, Hero) – +02:39
- Ricky Brabec (USA, Honda) – +05:14
- Adrien Van Beveren (FRA, Honda) – +06:26
Zille wins again in Challenger class, Klaassen takes podium spot
David Zille (BBR Motorsport) reclaimed the stage win in the Challenger category and extended his lead in the overall standings over teammate Nicolás Cavigliasso. South African-Dutch driver Puck Klaassen surprised by finishing third in her G Rally OT3, only 3 minutes and 34 seconds behind the winner.
Franco beats Pinto, Rosegaar finishes 34th in SSV
In the SSV class, Mário Franco (Francosport) took his first stage win and further solidified his lead in the standings. Prologue winner Alexandre Pinto was forced to stop due to technical issues. Wouter Rosegaar, navigating for Brit Richard Aczel, finished 34th with a time of 03:26:32.
Martinez wins again among the Quads
Gaëtan Martinez claimed his third stage win of the rally, 2 minutes and 9 seconds ahead of teammate Antanas Kanopkinas, extending his overall lead to more than 24 minutes.
Looking ahead: stage 4
Up next is Stage 4 — a 693-kilometer loop around Sun City, featuring 224 kilometers of special stage. The overall standings remain wide open, with razor-thin margins separating the leaders in both the car and bike categories.
