Al-Attiyah takes victory as Al-Rajhi grabs overall lead
Nasser Al-Attiyah bounced back from a difficult showing on Monday to claim victory on Stage 9 of the Dakar Rally, while a puncture for Toyota driver Henk Lategan promoted Yazeed Al-Rajhi to the overall lead. Dacia’s Al-Attiyah and Ford rival Mattias Ekstrom initially duelled for victory in the 357km test between Riyadh and Haradh, with […]
Lategan dominates to extend lead as Al-Attiyah struggles
Henk Lategan extended his lead at the top of the overall Dakar Rally standings with a dominant performance on Stage 8. The factory Toyota driver finished the test in 4h49m54s, though was docked two minutes after finishing for a speed violation, to finish 1m47s ahead of team-mate Guy Botterill and 4m4s ahead of Century driver […]
What Motorsport.com is looking forward to in 2025
The Dakar Rally has claimed its first high-profile victims, and the chequered flag has fallen on the Dubai 24 Hours with victory claimed by the Al Manar Racing by WRT BMW. After a brief lull while gravy-soaked turkey and pigs-in-blankets were consumed, motorsport is well and truly back. The year ahead promises numerous talking points across […]
Sweden targeted by Hyundai to debut upgraded WRC car
Thierry Neuville is hopeful Hyundai will debut its highly anticipated revised 2025 World Rally Championship car at Rally Sweden next month. Hyundai has spent much of last season developing a significant upgrade to its i20 N Rally1 car for 2025, but confirmed late last year that it would begin the new season in Monte Carlo […]
Al-Attiyah sends letter to FIA president over Dakar frustrations
Dacia Sandriders driver Nasser Al-Attiyah has revealed he has sent a letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem over his grievances from this year’s Dakar Rally. The five-time event winner was left aggrieved by a 10-minute penalty when finishing fastest on Stage 5, a lost spare wheel taking away his 9m59s advantage at the end […]
Dakar director flew into stage to help drivers after roadbook error
The director of the Dakar Rally personally made sure competitors were able to find the correct route on Stage 7 after a mistake was found in the roadbook. Several drivers struggled to validate a waypoint a third of the way into Sunday’s 418km test in Al Duwadimi, with many going off course as they religiously […]
Mini ends Toyota’s winning streak, Lategan’s lead chopped
Guillaume de Mevius led a 1-2 finish for X-raid Mini on Stage 6 of Dakar Rally, as Henk Lategan’s lead in the overall standings was slashed to seven minutes. As Dakar resumed after a rest day in Ha’il, competitors faced a 605km test en route to Al Duwadimi, but with a special 171km transfer section […]
We are not in Formula 1
Dacia driver Nasser Al-Attiyah has questioned FIA’s decision to prevent Ford rival Carlos Sainz Sr from completing the 2025 Dakar Rally on safety grounds. Sainz Sr and Al-Attiyah’s team-mate Sebastien Loeb were forced out of Dakar at the start of this week after suffering damage to their roll cages in separate accidents. That eliminated two […]
M-Sport targets more WRC entries at selected events in 2025
M-Sport is likely to expand its World Rally Championship entries at selected events this season after securing Gregoire Munster and Josh McErlean to full-time drives for 2025. The Ford squad has once again opted for a youthful line-up this year after retaining the services of Munster following his first full-time campaign last year, while Irish […]