Dakar 2025: Nasser Al Attiyah wins stage 9

The 2025 Dakar Rally continues its journey through the challenging terrains of Saudi Arabia. The ninth stage, which took participants from Riyadh to Haradh, was marked by significant changes in the overall standings and key results in various categories.

The stage consisted of 357 timed kilometers, where navigation and speed were decisive factors. Henk Lategan, who started the day leading the general classification, faced a tough day. An early puncture, navigation issues, and another similar setback near the end relegated him to eleventh place, losing more than 16 minutes to Nasser Al Attiyah. This result allowed Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi to take the lead with a margin of over seven minutes ahead of his teammate.

In the cars category, Nasser Al Attiyah won his 48th Dakar stage. His performance brought him closer to the third position in the general classification, held by Mattias Ekstrom, and reduced the gap with the leaders. Meanwhile, Cristina Gutiérrez showed consistent performance, staying close to the top 10.

In the light prototype category, Francisco "Chaleco" López achieved his fourth stage victory, recording one of the best times in this edition, though still with a considerable gap from leader Brock Heger. In the Challenger class, David Zille won the stage, while Nicolás Cavigliasso continues to lead comfortably.

In the trucks category, Ales Loprais claimed his third stage victory in this edition, bringing his career total to 23 Dakar wins. Martin Macík remains a solid leader in the general classification, with more than two hours of advantage over Mitchel van den Brink, who celebrated his birthday with a strong second-place finish in the stage.

As the competitors head into the Empty Quarter, the upcoming days will be crucial in determining the winner of this Dakar edition. The dunes in the south of the country represent one of the greatest challenges for the remaining participants.