THE DACIA SANDRIDERS IN THE THICK OF THE DAKAR RALLY PODIUM BATTLE WITH ALL FOUR CREWS IN TOP 10

Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno impressed with sixth place to move from 14th to 10th overall during a challenging ninth stage, which ended with team-mates Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin 1m10s shy of the overall lead.

Al-Attiyah/Lurquin had held first place by four minutes after Stage 8 but problems navigating their way through today’s route north from Wadi ad-Dawasir means they drop to third overall. But despite losing their outright advantage following their delay, Al-Attiyah/Lurquin remain firmly in contention for Dakar Rally success with four days of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship season opener left to run.

Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger continue to occupy sixth in the overall classification after their efforts to climb the leaderboard suffered a setback when a technical issue struck their Dacia Sandrider with 150 kilometres of the 410-kilometre timed section remaining. They had challenged for the top three during the stage but the powersteering problem meant they could do no better than 19th quickest.

World champion Lucas Moraes, with Dennis Zenz navigating, was leading by 1m31s 271 kilometres into Stage 9. However, by experiencing a navigational issue of their own, Moraes/Zenz were restricted to the 22nd best time. Despite their delay at a waypoint, Moraes/Zenz have moved up one position in the overall ranking, finishing Tuesday’s running in eighth position.

For the second time on the 48th edition of the Dakar Rally, crews will bed down for the night at a bivouac refuge point, a remote overnight camp where only limited resources are being made available.

Rules require drivers and their navigators to pitch their own tents (sleeping blankets and mats are also supplied) and prepare their meals from a box of rations. The only technical back-up is provided by their fellow competitors, although there is no time limit for making any necessary repairs prior to Stage 10 getting under way on Wednesday.

In addition to Moraes/Zenz joining its all-star line-up for 2026, The Dacia Sandriders has made several key upgrades to its event-winning Dacia Sandrider, which continues to be powered by sustainable fuel from Aramco and equipped with BFGoodrich tyres. The upgrades are focused on weight reduction, cooling efficiency, visibility, reliability and driver comfort. Meanwhile, a refreshed colour scheme, which includes more orange for a sharper look, was revealed ahead of the Dakar Rally.

KEY QUOTE

TIPHANIE ISNARD, TEAM PRINCIPAL, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS

It was a big rollercoaster, the best thing was Cristina had a wonderful stage. She finished sixth and even if she is in a safe mode on a marathon stage it just shows the pace and how strong she is. We had a good first part of the stage with a good pitstop, the guys did a wonderful job, again very efficient. But afterwards Nasser, firstly, lost more or less 20 minutes in navigation. It’s part of the game, everyone was a bit lost, it cost a lot but it is what it is. It’s the same situation with Lucas who lost 15 minutes at a waypoint, even if they were doing a fantastic job in the stage, leading mostly all the time. Seb, unfortunately, had an issue with the powersteering in the last 150 kilometres to bring back the car. You can’t imagine how hard it is to bring back a car in the dunes with this kind of issue. Of course, we would prefer to be in the lead position but if you are looking at what’s going on and to the next stage everything can happen again. We are in a good starting position tomorrow and I am quite confident that everyone can do a good job.

DAKAR RALLY STAGE 9 RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL)

Wadi ad-Dawasir-Refuge Marathon

Stage distance: 410km Liaison distance: 122km Total distance: 532km

6th Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), 4h01m31s

15th Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), 4h13m05s

19th Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), 4h15m36s

22nd Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Dennis Zenz (GER), 4h18m49s

DAKAR RALLY PROVISIONAL ULTIMATE CATEGORY OVERALL RESULTS AFTER STAGE 9 (UNOFFICIAL)

3rd Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), +1m10s

6th Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), +21m06s

8th Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Dennis Zenz (GER), +36m49s

10th Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), +49m22s

DAKAR RALLY: THE BIG NUMBER

4: All four of The Dacia Sandriders crews completed Stage 9 of the Dakar Rally within the overall top 10.

THE DAY AHEAD: STAGE 10, JANUARY 14

Following a night of camping under the stars for the competitors, the action resumes tomorrow (Wednesday) with an extensive sand dune section before the course switches to what organisers have described as “classic tracks”. With no overnight mechanical assistance from their teams in line with the rules, the achievement of reaching Bisha on Wednesday afternoon will be significant.

Stage distance: 420km Liaison distance: 50km Total distance: 470km