2023 Dakar stage 6 was supposed to comprise of a 450 km timed section heading away from Ha’il. However, organisers reduced the special by about 100 km to 357. After the timed section competitors made their way to the overnight stop near the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.

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

Leading the Way

Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) led the cars out of the overnight camp by virtue of his stage win yesterday. The power advantage granted to Audi (click here for more) did nothing to damper the Qatari driver’s overall lead of the 2023 race.

Once again, it was a close battle in the car race. Seven drivers were covered by a 30 second blanket after 31 km. Al Attiyah in front led Stéphane Peterhansel (Audi Sport) and Sébastien Loeb (BRX Hunter). Carlos Sainz (Audi Sport) occupied fifth place behind Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing). Peterhansel made a push to grab the stage lead from Al-Attiyah until…

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

Over and out

The Frenchman had a massive accident after 212 km of the day’s special. His co-pilot Edouard Boulanger was injured leaving him with pain in his back. Boulanger was taken to hospital to undergo further examination. Mister Dakar’s Audi team-mate Sainz also suffered an accident at the same place. Sainz was left stationary awaiting help from his crew.

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

Another chasing team suffered issues around the same point in the race. Al Rajhi’s Hilux ground to a halt. Nasser Al Attiyah was not letting off despite his main rivals falling by the wayside. The Qatari posted the best time after 236 km leading by almost 4 min 30 sec over Sébastien Loeb. Guerlain Chicherit (Prodrive Hunter) moved into third.

Stage Winner

Nasser Al Attiyah set the best time on the day’s special. He set times that were quicker than the fast-charging Sébastien Loeb. The Frenchman took the second step of podium just about three and a half minutes adrift. Henk Lategan (TGR) pipped Guerlain Chicherit to take third place on the special. The win takes Al Attiyah’s tally up to three stage victories in this year’s event.

Click here to check out our dedicated motorsport section.

With Peterhansel’s retirement, Sainz’s crash and Al Rajhi’s mechanical issues the overall classification has been completely shaken up with a few new names in the top ten. Impressive Dakar rookie Lucas Moraes now finds himself in third place on the GC just ahead of Giniel de Villiers. Toyota crews currently occupy the four top slots of the rankings with Mattias Ekstrom the first Audi just ahead of Loeb.

General classification after 2023 Dakar Stage 6

    1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) 24 hr 00 min 48 sec
    2. Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +01 hr 06 min 50 sec
    3. Lucas Moraes (Overdrive Racing) +01 hr 13 min 19 sec
    4. Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +01 hr 44 min 38 sec
    5. Mattias Ekstrom (Audi Sport) +01 hr 46 min 55 sec
    6. Sebastien Loeb (BRX) +01 hr 57 min 10 sec
    7. Romain Dumas (Rebellion Racing) +02 hr 13 min 07 sec
    8. Martin Prokop (Orlen Benzina) +02 hr 13 min 30 sec
    9. Brian Baragwanath (CRT) +02 hr 20 min 33 sec
    10. Wei Han (Hanwei Motorsport) +02 hr 49 min 27 sec