South African Michael Docherty claimed his sixth Rally 2 victory on Stage 10 of the Dakar Rally on Wednesday, whilst Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah moved back into the overall car category lead after a dramatic day of racing to Bisha that saw compatriot Henk Lategan climb from fourth to second overall.
Cars: French crew stuns, Al-Attiyah reclaims lead
The car category saw Frenchmen Mathieu Serradori and Loïc Minaudier deliver a stunning upset victory in their South African-built Century Factory CR-7, winning by over six minutes from Al-Attiyah’s Dacia.
Al-Attiyah, who started the day third overall, enjoyed a relatively trouble-free run to second place on the stage and moved back into the overall lead. Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings climbed from fourth to second overall despite encountering fuel problems late in the stage that required assistance from teammates. They finished eighth on the day.
Other South African crews faced varying fortunes. Saood Variawa and co-driver François Cazalet finished 15th in their SVR Hilux, whilst Guy Botterill sits 11th overall. Brian Baragwanath and Leonard Cremer struggled to 40th in their Century Factory machine.
Al-Attiyah now leads the overall standings by 12 minutes from Lategan, with Spain’s Nani Roma third in his Ford Raptor, just 50 seconds further back.
Bikes: Sanders crashes as Docherty shines again
In the motorcycle category, Argentinian Luciano Benavides moved into the overall lead after KTM teammate Daniel Sanders crashed heavily during the 371-kilometre stage. French Honda rider Adrien van Beveren took the stage victory, but it was Docherty who continued his dominant Rally 2 campaign with another commanding win.
Sanders, who had been leading overall, crashed early and lost 27 minutes despite assistance from Ricky Brabec to get back on his bike. The Australian dropped to fourth overall, now trailing Benavides by just 41 seconds with American Brabec second.
South African connections faced mixed fortunes, with Motswana Ross Branch—riding under the South African flag—struggling home in provisional tenth after two crashes on Tuesday and ongoing mechanical issues. Former South African champion Bradley Cox was slowed by clutch problems on his Sherco, finishing well down the order.
Benavides now leads Brabec by 41 seconds, with Honda’s Tosha Schareina third, 16 minutes behind. Despite not winning a stage, Preston Campbell leads Rally 2 by three minutes.
With three stages and nearly 800 kilometres remaining, the rally continues Thursday with a 347-kilometre run to Al Henakiyah.
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