2023 Dakar stage 4 took the shape of loop from Ha’il back to the starting point from where the competitors departed. A 148 km liaison section was followed by a 425 km special. The first 100 km was characterised by sheer mountains of sand and a fast gravel section towards the end.

Follow Double Apex on Instagram and Facebook where we share more car content.

Nothing to Lose

Guerlain Chicherit (Prodrive Hunter) got proceedings underway today after claiming the stage win yesterday. The weather interrupted stage played havoc with the times. As a result, the overall classification was only published late yesterday evening. The Frenchman is a few hours down in the overall standings, which meant he has little to lose going forward.

Click here to check out a gallery of images outlining De Villiers stellar Dakar career.

After the issues suffered by the Audi drivers in the early stages, the team will be happy to see Stephane Peterhansel high up in the order. Mr Dakar was quickest through the early part of day. The Audi driver was setting the pace through most of the early checkpoints. Peterhansel was chased hard by Sebastien Loeb (BRX Hunter) who has suffered terrible misfortune in the early days of the race.

Bad Luck

Orly Terranova (BRX Hunter) didn’t even make it to the first checkpoint. He returned to the starting point having covered just a few kilometres. Mathieu Serradori also suffered mechanical issues very early in the day. This will send both teams tumbling down the overall order.

Click here to learn how much an entry costs for each category at the 2023 Dakar Rally.

Trading Times

Loeb and Peterhansel closely matched each others pace throughout the stage. Defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) overhauled a quick Carlos Sainz and Al Rajhi to climb into third place on the day. With just a few kilometres to go it was Loeb who gained the upper hand Peterhansel. The BRX Hunter driver has already seen his 2023 Dakar ambitions deflate thanks to a surfeit of punctures. It seems he is now in all-out attack mode.

Stage Winner

The battle between the two Frenchmen raged all the way to the finish line. The day’s podium resulted in a one-two for France. Loeb claimed 2023 Dakar stage 4 just 13 seconds ahead of Peterhansel. Loeb had to wrestle is car to the finish as his power steering system gave in. Carlos Sainz made it a double podium for Audi as he finished just under two minutes behind his teammate.

Al-Attiyah was fourth ahead of Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing). Henk Lategan (TGR) had another good day in the saddle, after his podium yesterday, by finishing sixth. Giniel de Villiers was classified ninth in the stage ahead of Le Mans winner Romain Dumas. Al-Attiyah has extended his lead in the overall race standings by five minutes over Al Rajhi.

General classification after 2023 Dakar Stage 4

  1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) 16 hr 34 min 13 sec
  2. Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Hilux) +18 min 18 sec
  3. Stephane Peterhansel (Audi Sport) +18 min 52 sec
  4. Carlos Sainz (Audi Sport) +32 min 55 sec
  5. Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +45 min 25 sec
  6. Lucas Moraes (Overdrive Racing) +45 min 27 sec
  7. Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +46 min 13 sec
  8. Mattias Ekstrom (Audi Sport) +50 min 00 sec
  9. Martin Prokop (Orlen Benzina) +01 hr 14 min 43 sec
  10. Erik van Loon (Overdrive Racing) +01 hr 15 min 40 sec