‘Disaster’ as roadbook error causes chaos at Dakar Rally
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Qatari driver Nasser Al Attiyah and French co-driver Edouard Boulanger competing during Stage 7 of the Dakar Rally 2025.
PHOTO: AFP
AL DUWADIMI – An error by the organisers in the drivers’ route guide caused chaos at the Dakar Rally on Jan 12, as cars went off the route into the vast Saudi Arabian desert in a blunder blasted as a “disaster” by a former champion.
The roadbook error came at the 158km mark of Stage 7, a 419km loop which started and finished in Al Duwadimi, and was enough to take the leaders off course.
Losing precious time, they drove aimlessly in the desert until an organisation helicopter came to put the cars back on the right track.
“We were there for 50 minutes, 50 minutes of going round in circles,” said Belgian driver Guillaume de Mevius, who was among the first to arrive at the faulty mark in his Mini.
“We were crossing paths with everyone who was turning round, trying to get to the same place as us but which we’d already tried.”
As a result, the organisers had to erase the times on a 20km section of the stage, although there was still confusion over the remainder of the course because of the order in which the cars had set out.
The incident prompted stinging criticism of the organisers.
“When you want to do the roadbook, do it well,” said Qatar’s five-time winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, driving a Dacia, at the finish where he was fourth.
“You have to check it many, many times because this was a disaster. It was a big risk.”
Brazilian Lucas Moraes of Toyota emerged from the confusion as the stage winner, finishing 7min 41sec ahead of Swede Mattias Ekstrom with American Mitchell Guthrie at 9:28, both in Fords.
Daniel Sanders underlined his dominance on the bikes, which were not affected by the roadbook error, with his fifth stage win of the 2025 race.
The 30-year-old Australian, on a KTM, ended 3:36 ahead of 19-year-old Spaniard Edgar Canet.
On Jan 13, South African Henk Lategan (Toyota) consolidated his lead atop the driver standings by winning the eighth stage.
The 30-year-old, in his fourth Dakar outing, covered the 487km special between Al Duwadimi and Riyadh in 4hr 51min 54sec.
Lategan, who also won the Jan 3 prologue, extended his lead over home hope Yazeed Al-Rajhi to 5:41 in the general classification.
Despite a two-minute penalty for speeding on the stage, Lategan completed the day’s driving 1:47 ahead of compatriot Guy Botterill, also in a Toyota.
France’s Mathieu Serradori (Century) prevented an all-South African podium by finishing third, five seconds ahead of Brian Baragwanath.
Al-Attiyah completed the stage 12:17 off Lategan’s pace and now sits fourth in the standings, at 34:14. Ekstrom is third.
Tosha Schareina won the bike category, the Spaniard clawing back 4:30 on Sanders, who now leads by just over 11 minutes. AFP
