Tuesday’s ninth stage of the Dakar Rally delivered surprising results as Polish brothers Eryk and Michal Goczal claimed a historic 1-2 finish, leading Australian Toby Price to a Toyota Hilux podium sweep ahead of South African Century Factory driver Brian Baragwanath.
The dramatic day saw all race leaders encounter significant troubles, completely reshuffling the overall standings. Spanish factory Ford Raptor drivers Nani Roma now leads teammate Carlos Sainz by just one minute, with Nasser Al Attiyah’s Dacia Sandrider close behind and South Africa’s Henk Lategan remaining in contention despite a troubled performance.
Leaders hit trouble early
The 410km stage to the second Marathon bivouac began normally with Sébastien Loeb’s Dacia leading, whilst overall leader Al-Attiyah maintained his position ahead of Mattias Ekström’s Ford Raptor and Lategan’s Overdrive Toyota Hilux.
However, chaos ensued early on. Loeb’s Dacia stopped twice with mechanical issues, Mitch Guthrie encountered an oil leak, and Lategan lost 14 minutes replacing broken power steering. Both Al-Attiyah and Ekström then got lost, opening the door for the Goczal brothers’ remarkable charge.
Dramatic finish reshuffles standings
Eryk Goczal suddenly found himself leading brother Michal, with Baragwanath’s Century machine and Price’s Overdrive Hilux in pursuit. Price overtook Baragwanath for fourth place as the Polish siblings brought home their shock victory.
The results dramatically altered the overall standings. Sainz initially led before a one-minute penalty dropped him 57 seconds behind new leader Roma. Al-Attiyah sits third, just 13 seconds adrift, with Lategan’s Toyota still in fourth despite finishing 16th on the stage.
Other South Africans struggled, with Guy Botterill slipping to 15th overall and the previous day’s stage winner Saood Variawa finishing 18th on the stage, now 11th overall.
Bikes see Sanders fight back
The motorcycle category proved equally dramatic. Spain’s Tosha Schareina won the stage, but Australia’s Daniel Sanders mounted a remarkable recovery from 34th position early in the day to finish second and reclaim the overall lead for KTM.
South African Michael Docherty dominated the Rally 2 category on his BAS KTM 450, finishing third overall on the stage. Compatriot Bradey Cox placed eighth for Sherco, whilst Botswana’s Ross Branch struggled home after another promising early showing.
Sanders now leads by six minutes over Ricky Brabec, with Luciano Benavides third. Docherty’s strong performance moves him up the Rally 2 standings, whilst Cox sits 11th overall.
Championship remains wide open
With more than two full South African National Rally Raid races’ worth of distance remaining, the 2025 Dakar Rally remains far from decided. Wednesday brings a dune-rich 371km run to Bisha, concluding the Marathon stage before three final stages to Saturday’s finish in Yanbu.
The tight margins at the front in both categories promise continued drama as the world’s premier cross-country rally approaches its conclusion.
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