Dakar '25: Loeb and Sainz lose time, but Ford has faith in the Spaniard

2025 Dakar Rally Content Pool

General

6 January at 11:00

Norberto Mujica
Editor

Yazeed Al-Rajhi lead the Dakar Rally upon completion of the first half of the second stage with Nasser Al-Attiyah in second. Sebastian Loeb struggled with engine related issues throughout the day, and Carlos Sainz sr. finished the day at just over 1 hour off of Al-Rajhi's lead.

It was a strong day for middle-eastern contenders with Overdrive Toyota runner, Al-Rajhi, leading the time sheets following completion of the 2025 Dakar Rally's first half of the grueling 947km second stage across the Saudi Arabian desert, with Al-Attiyah on his tail aboard his Dacia. A surprisingly strong showing from them having started the stage in 22nd and 21st over ten minutes behind the leaders.

Loeb and Sainz tumble down the order

Loeb’s Dacia Sandrider did not prove to be reliable enough for the Frenchman to stay at the front following his strong performance in the previous stage. Loeb had to stop around 9 times throughout the first half of the second stage due to engine related issues.

Sainz sr.'s extensive damage to his Ford Raptor after his accident during yesterday's run, meant he could only reach the bivouac almost an hour (49m33s) behind the middle-eastern leaders.

Ford rekindles Sainz' hopes for Dakar success repeat

After the Spaniard's tough first half of Stage 2 yesterday that saw him flip his Ford Raptor over around the 327km mark, which resulted in major damage and in Sainz sr. having to remove extensive bits of bodywork from his stricken car, there's still reason to believe in a repeat of the success the Spaniard experienced last year according to Malcolm Wilson, team director of M-Sport Ford, who claimed that prior to the accident, Sainz sr. was "opening up the track."

"It looks like, from what we've seen, there's no structural damage. It's been running at a reasonable pace, flat out after the accident," said Wilson. During the complicated Stage 2 of the competition there's limited assistance, but after they arrive at tomorrow's bivouac following completion of the second half of the stage, the damaged sustained by the competitors' machinery can indeed be repaired.

"[All Ford cars] will be together and hopefully we'll have a chance to implement repairs. Then, the most important thing is to bring him back tomorrow, and from what seems to have been lost, it's maybe around an hour, which on the second stage of the Dakar is a lot, but there's a long way to go," concluded an optimistic Wilson.

2025 Dakar Rally Standings after Stage 2A

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