Dakar Rally Stage 4: Sanders wins again in Bikes, Al Rajhi in cars

Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi (pictured) took victory in Stage 4 of the 2025 Dakar Rally in the car category while Daniel Sanders dominated the Bike Category.

2025 Dakar Rally: Cars

Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) claimed a decisive victory in Stage 4, finishing 4 minutes and 51 seconds ahead of overall leader Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing), narrowing the gap to just 6 minutes and 54 seconds.

Lategan had led early, posting the fastest time at km 27, but Al Rajhi, starting 18th, used the tracks of his rivals to surge ahead.

Mattias Ekstrom also struggled, falling over five minutes behind Al Rajhi by km 65, while Nasser Al Attiyah’s stage was derailed by a puncture and a broken steering joint, leading to two lengthy stops.

Despite assistance from teammate Cristina Gutierrez, Al Attiyah lost 33 minutes, dropping nearly 36 minutes behind the leaders.

As Al Attiyah struggled, Al Rajhi held steady, clocking the fastest time at km 105 and extending his lead with Lategan 3 minutes and 13 seconds behind. Lategan struck back slightly at km 289, closing the gap to Al Rajhi to 5 minutes and 19 seconds.

By km 346, however, Al Rajhi had widened his lead to over 8 minutes.

Finally, Al Rajhi sealed his victory for the stage, clocking the fastest time at the finish, with a 4min, 51sec cushion over Lategan. This win puts Al Rajhi within striking distance of the overall lead, trailing Lategan by just 6 minutes and 54 seconds.

2025 Dakar Rally: Bikes

Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM) dominated the stage, securing his fourth win of the year.

After a steady start, Sanders capitalized on others’ mistakes and pushed past fierce competitors, including Honda’s Tosha Schareina and Hero MotoSports’ Jose Cornejo.

At km 27, Honda led a provisional 1-2-3 with Howes, Quintanilla, and Brabec, but Sanders took control by km 27, clocking the fastest time, 8 seconds ahead of teammate Schareina.

By km 65, Sanders extended his lead, and by km 151, he had a 10-minute advantage over Branch and Howes.

But others were quick to fight back and eventually, Skyler Howes, Ross Branch, and defending champion Ricky Brabec held the lead, but a costly navigational error around 15km from the finish line cost them valuable time, with Branch, Howes, and Brabec now trailing by over 26, 27, and 29 minutes, respectively in the overall standings.

2025 Dakar Rally Overall Standings after Stage 4 – Car Top-10