After a well-earned rest day in Dakhla, competitors in the Africa Eco Race kicked off the second half of the rally. Stage six took them from Dakhla to Chami, covering a total of 590 kilometers, including a 153-kilometer special stage. That special was entirely on Mauritanian soil and plunged the participants into endless sandy plains where landmarks are scarce and parallel tracks pose serious navigational risks. It was a short but intense introduction to the kind of terrain that will define the coming days.
First stage win for Paulin, overall standings remain tight
French rider Gautier Paulin delivered a convincing stage win for Yamaha, finishing in 1 hour 11 minutes and 23 seconds. He edged out teammate Alessandro Botturi by 2 minutes and 28 seconds, while Amaury Baratin, riding without assistance in the Malle Moto class, impressed with a third-place finish.
Jean-Loup Lepan took fourth, followed by Jacopo Cerutti in fifth. Lepan retains the overall lead, with a margin of 1 minute 48 over Thomas Marini, who finished eighth today. Cerutti is third overall, trailing by 2 minutes 46. Robert van Pelt Jr. had a strong day, finishing sixth — his best result so far.
Femont takes the win, Ourednicek close behind
Christian Femont claimed his first stage win of the rally in his Mini X-Raid, with a time of 1:05:56. Tomas Ourednicek finished just 22 seconds behind. David Gérard completed the top three, 1 minute 44 adrift.
Despite a 14th-place finish today, Pol Van Pollaert remains the overall leader. His gap over Femont has narrowed to just over 15 minutes. Lambilliotte sits third, 28 minutes back.
Lafay wins again, strong day for the Dutch
Pierre Lafay once again showed his dominance in the SSV category, winning the stage in 1:12:43. Dutchman Sander Derikx followed just 1 minute and 50 seconds behind, with Martijn van den Broek finishing third, 2 minutes and 20 seconds back.
Lafay extends his lead in the overall standings, with Grarre and Cambier still in pursuit. Derikx now holds a solid fourth place overall, showing consistency and improvement as the race progresses.
Bob Herber finished sixth today, and Marcel van Berlo came in tenth. Both navigated the challenging sands without incident. Van den Broek was clearly satisfied: “Fast, sharp, and well navigated. These are the best kinds of days.”
Zuurmond remains untouchable
Gerrit Zuurmond left no room for doubt as the leader in the truck category. He completed the special in just 1:19:02, averaging 115 kilometers per hour across the Mauritanian sands. Mike Panhuijzen came second, 13 minutes behind, and Franck Coquide followed at 38 minutes. Martin Roeterdink struggled with turbo issues and arrived only late in the evening, losing over eight hours.
With Noel Essers having retired earlier in the week, Zuurmond now leads Panhuijzen by more than nine hours in the standings.
Solid day for the Dutch
Stage six brought a string of strong Dutch performances. Robert van Pelt Jr. finished inside the top ten among the bikes, while Derikx and Van den Broek both landed on the SSV podium. Unfortunately, Truck Team Müller had more bad luck with a turbo failure after just 50 kilometers. The service truck had to recover the vehicle and return it to the bivouac.
At the Mauritanian border, initial confusion over documents caused some delays, but all competitors were able to start as scheduled.
Deep into Mauritania
This short stage was only the beginning. Starting today, longer stages with demanding navigation, soft dunes, and endless plains await. The rally is at its halfway point, but in many ways, it is only just beginning.
The Africa Eco Race is broadcast daily on RTL7, with episodes at 12:30, 17:3,0 and 00:30, produced by RallyTracks.
