2025 Dakar Stage 2 started on Sunday and only concluded today. Race organisers set a monster second stage that was a 967-km loop to and from Bisha. Competitors had to run as far into the stage as possible. At 17:00 all competitors had to stop racing and proceed to one of six overnight camps. There they were not allowed outside assistance on their vehicles, but could help each other.

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2025 Dakar Stage 2a delivered some big headlines, such as the crash of Carlos Sainz. Despite rolling his Ford Raptor the Spaniard drove the battered machine to the overnight stop almost 300 km later, stopping in a provisional 25th. Another who suffered yesterday was Sebastien Loeb (Dacia Sandrider), who struggled with cooling issues. The fans on his race machine gave out, causing overheating and a lack of performance.

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On the Charge

Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) was the man on a charge yesterday. He and Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider) climbed to the top of the timesheets with mere seconds separating them as the sun set in Saudi Arabia. SA Toyota Gazoo Racing teammates Henk Lategan and Guy Botterill were in close contention as well. 2009 winner Giniel de Villiers was also in the top ten at the close of play yesterday.

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Still Flying

Al Rajhi was still on a flyer when racing resumed on 2025 Dakar Stage 2. The Saudi driver set a blistering pace. Try as they may Al-Attiyah and Lategan could not challenge for top honours. The two challengers finished second and third. A time penalty relegated Al Attiyah to third place with Lategan climbing a step on the day’s podium. Al Rajhi’s teammates Juan Cruz Yacopini and Rokas Baciuska also had good stage and climbed up to fourth and fifth at the end of the stage. Loeb keeps his victory hopes alive by finishing seventh today. Mattias Ekstrom was the quickest Ford Raptor again.

Casualties

Bad news for fans of Giniel de Villiers is that the Capetonian was stuck in the stage at the time of writing. Reports from our sources on the ground inform us that De Villiers and teammate Saood Variawa collided but both crews were uninjured. The accident left both cars quite damaged with lots of repairs required to get going again. Mechanical issues saw their teammate Guy Botterill fall down the order as well, an unplanned stop cost him over two hours. Sainz, too, lost significant time and his title defense hopes are fading fast.

Henk Lategan now sits atop the general rankings by virtue of his pace in 2025 Dakar stage 2. He leads Al Rajhi and Al-Attiyah. Four-wheel rookie, but double two-wheel champ Toby Price sits in fourth overall. The overall leaderboard saw several big names tumble down the order and many new ones added to the top ten. Lategan is the only South African currently in the top ten. Loeb really charged up to reduce his deficit to the leaders. Half of the top ten spot are now occupied by Toyota Hilux crews.

Edited to add: It was in fact Rokas Baciuška, recredited time lost after faulty refuelling, who won his very first stage. Al Rajhi was second and Juan Cruz Yacopini was third after Al-Attiyah was handed a speeding fine.

Standings after 2025 Dakar Stage 2

    1. Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing) 15 hr 40 min 30 sec
    2. Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) +4 min 45 sec
    3. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider) +11 min 14 sec
    4. Toby Price (Overdrive Racing) +11 min 44 sec
    5. Mattias Ekstrom (Ford M-Sport) +13 min 16 sec
    6. Sebastien Loeb (Dacia Sandrider) +18 min 56 sec
    7. Lucas Moraes (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +20 min 57 sec
    8. Mathieu Serradori (Century Racing) +22 hr 45 min
    9. Mitch Guthrie (Ford M-Sport) +23 min 33 sec
    10. Juan Cruz Yacopini (Overdrive Racing) +23 min 57 sec

Times were correct at the time of publication, full stage results can be found here.