Strategy played a key role as Tosha Schareina delivered two outstanding performances to win back-to-back Dakar stages. The Spanish rider showed rare ability by winning from the front of the field, leading alone for much of the 417km special and securing his fourth stage victory of the rally. His strong run pushed him into the overall lead.
Schareina now shares the exact same overall time as teammate Ricky Brabec, with the Honda riders separated only by stage results. Skyler Howes sits just 10 seconds behind them, giving Honda a clean top-three and highlighting the team’s dominance. Meanwhile, Adrien Van Beveren lost more time and slipped close to the edge of the top 10, now over 27 minutes off the lead.
Red Bull KTM is still in the fight, choosing a more measured approach. Daniel Sanders and Edgar Canet remain within striking distance overall, with Sanders especially well placed thanks to a better starting position for the next stage.
In Rally2, the title fight was shaken up dramatically. Michael Docherty suffered a broken wheel and failed to reach the bivouac, triggering a heavy penalty. Martim Ventura also dropped out of contention after losing nearly two hours to mechanical problems. Their misfortune opened the door for rookie Preston Campbell, who moved into the class lead, while Neels Theric claimed his first Dakar stage win and gave Chinese manufacturer Kove its maiden victory.
In the car category, Henk Lategan made a bold move that paid off. After learning from last year’s heartbreak, the South African pushed hard and won the stage, taking over seven minutes out of Nasser Al Attiyah and grabbing the overall lead by nearly four minutes. Toyota teammate Sébastien Loeb remains within reach despite sitting eighth overall, while Ford drivers Mattias Ekström and Carlos Sainz stay well positioned for the second half of the marathon stage.
The biggest setback came for defending champion Yazeed Al Rajhi, whose rally ended as a title challenge when his Toyota suffered a mechanical failure mid-stage. While he may continue after the marathon, his hopes of a podium finish are now over.