Baciuska inherits victory while Carlos Sainz misses out on Dakar 2025

The 2025 Dakar Rally continues to highlight its complexity following a second stage filled with events that reshaped the competition. Speeding penalties, mechanical incidents, and organizers' decisions have caused significant changes in the overall standings.

Impact of speeding penalties during the stage

The stage, initially won by Yazeed Al-Rajhi, experienced changes in the results due to multiple penalties. Al-Rajhi, competing with a private Toyota, received a two-minute penalty for exceeding speed limits in a liaison section. While he retains the stage victory, his overall position is impacted, placing him 4m45s behind the leader, Henk Lategan.

On the other hand, Nasser Al-Attiyah, driving his Dacia, was also penalized four minutes for a similar violation. This allowed Al-Rajhi to move up to second place for the stage, relegating the Qatari driver to third. In the overall standings, Lategan remains solid in the lead with an 11m14s advantage over his main pursuers.

Carlos Sainz out of the rally due to structural damage

Carlos Sainz faced complications during this stage. The Spanish driver, competing in a Ford Raptor, suffered an accident during the first part of the marathon stage, overturning after a jump on a dune. Although he managed to return to the camp and continue competing, the FIA later determined that the damage to his vehicle's roll cage exceeded regulatory limits, disqualifying him from further participation.

Before this decision, Sainz had lost more than an hour and a half compared to the stage leader due to the accident, a puncture, and navigation issues, falling out of the Top 20 in the overall standings.

Baciuska inherits stage victory

Rokas Baciuska, Al-Rajhi's teammate at Overdrive Racing, was declared the stage winner after officials credited him 12 minutes lost due to a refueling issue. The FIA ruled that the incident was beyond the driver's control, applying the principle of fair competition. This adjustment did not alter the top positions in the overall standings, but marked Baciuska's first victory in the main category.

Route adjustments due to weather conditions

Storms in Al Henakiyah prompted organizers to redesign the route for the third stage. Originally planned with 495 km of timed sections, the stage was shortened to 327 km to avoid areas most affected by rain.

In a statement, organizers emphasized the importance of providing an alternative route to safeguard the participants and their vehicles ahead of the marathon stage scheduled for January 8 and 9.

Other incidents

Sébastien Loeb encountered additional challenges during this stage. The French driver experienced issues with the fans on his Dacia on the first day, but managed to stay within the Top 10. He was later penalized 10 seconds by officials, although this penalty did not affect his position in the overall standings, where he remains sixth, 18m56s behind the leader.

In contrast, Nani Roma suffered a mechanical failure that temporarily forced him out of the competition. Meanwhile, Cristina Gutiérrez took on a supporting role for her teammates at Dacia Sandriders after her chances of competing for top positions were also affected.