The rocky Al-’Ula to Yanbu 420km test, won by Guerlain Chicherit for Overdrive Toyota, appears to be the deciding stage for overall victory at this year’s Dakar with Sainz moving into a healthy 1h27m06s lead.
Loeb, who cut Sainz’s lead to under 14 minutes yesterday, was on the attack during the opening running but at 132km he suffered a broken front right A-arm on his Provide Hunter in a heavy landing following a jump and was stranded without initial mechanical support.
