SA champion Henk Lategan takes Dakar Rally lead after marathon stage

South African Rally Raid champion Henk Lategan has taken the lead of the 2025 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.

Partnered with navigator Brian Cummings in the South African-built Toyota Gazoo Hilux, Lategan finished third in the 1,000km, two-day 48H Chrono stage behind local hero, Saudi Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Team Overdrive Hilux) and Qatari five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider).

Lategan has a four minutes 45 seconds lead in the overall standings ahead of Al Rajhi and Attiyah. Former motorcycle winner Toby Price (Overdrive Hilux) from Australia, in his first Dakar behind the wheel of a car, is fourth from World Rallycross champion Mattius Ekström (Ford Raptor) from Sweden and multiple world rally champion Sebastien Loeb (Dacia Sandrider) from France.

Reigning Dakar champion Carlos Sainz finished the stage 33rd after rolling his Ford Raptor; the Spaniard lies 26th overall.

The motorcycle class in the 48H Chrono stage was won by Australia's Daniel Sanders on a Red Bull KTM from the Monster Energy Honda duo of France's Adrien van Beverin and the US's Skyler Howes. Sanders leads the general classification from Howes and Botswana's Ross Branch (Hero Motorsports).