The Latest Breaking News from Overdrive

The 48th edition of the world's biggest cross-country rally is nearly upon us. Here’s a look at the main contenders for victory in Dakar

Ford driver Mattias Ekstrom was fastest in the penultimate stage of Dakar Rally on Thursday, while Overdrive’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi took a decisive lead over factory Toyota rival Henk Lategan.

We 𝗛𝗜𝗧 a motorbike!💥 he came in the opposite direction… 🔃He’s okay and he made it to the finish of the stage. 🤞We’ve had a lot of problems the last 20 kn of the stage… 🎥 Video is coming soon, stay tuned for more. #DakarRally #DakarInSaudi #Dakar2024 #CoronelDakar pic.twitter.com/nyQTHkgwkW— Tim…

In an ultra-competitive Al Duwadimi to Al Salamiya pass covering 438km, which saw the stage lead swap between multiple runners, a four-way victory fight developed between Toyota’s Moraes, Audi’s Mattias Ekstrom, Overdrive’s Al-Rajhi and defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah for Prodrive. 

Peterhansel had suffered a bruising start to his 35th appearance at the Dakar on Saturday, as a spate of punctures left him 30 minutes off the front. 

The 46th edition of the world’s most prestigious rally-raid kicked off with a short 27km timed run in Al’Ula in the western part of Saudi Arabia on Friday, with the entire section run on sandy terrain.

The 2024 Dakar Rally will be the fifth successive event to take place entirely in Saudi Arabia, but organiser ASO has laid out a route that will be vastly different to previous years.

Sebastien Loeb moved up to second in the Dakar Rally standings by claiming yet another stage win on Friday, as Nasser Al-Attiyah maintained his grip on the overall lead.

Defending Dakar Rally champion Nasser Al-Attiyah slashed Carlos Sainz Sr’s lead with victory on the second stage, as Sebastien Loeb lost over an hour with three punctures.