Lategan Loses Dakar Rally Lead, but Vows to Fight Back

Henk Lategan and navigator Brett Cummings are not giving up on their Dakar Rally ambitions despite losing the overall lead to Yazeed Al Rajhi after a challenging Stage 9 on Tuesday.

Starting the day with a 5:41 lead over Al Rajhi, the Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGRSA) duo faced difficulties early in the 357km timed section between Riyadh and Haradh. Navigational errors and a puncture cost them precious minutes, leaving them 12:50 behind Al Rajhi, who finished third on the stage.

Stage winner Nasser Al-Attiyah clocked 2:52:59, with Lategan and Cummings finishing 16:02 adrift.

Lategan and Cummings now trail Al Rajhi and co-driver Timo Gottschalk by 7:09 in the general classification. The third-placed Ford M-Sport Raptor crew of Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist closed the gap to Lategan to 17:41. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Edouard Boulanger, just 31 seconds behind Ekström, are also in contention.

“It’s Not Over Yet”

Acknowledging their setbacks, Lategan remained optimistic:

“That was one of our worst days of this Dakar Rally. But it’s not over. There is still a long way to go.”

He expressed disappointment in the navigational error and puncture but emphasized the opportunity to recover in the remaining stages.

Adding to Toyota’s woes, teammates Guy Botterill and Denis Murphy crashed out of the rally, though both escaped serious injury. With Giniel de Villiers already sidelined due to his co-driver’s injury, TGRSA is now relying on Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet to support Lategan and Cummings.

The rally heads into the notorious Empty Quarter for Stages 10 and 11, featuring 120km and 275km of timed sections, respectively. The final dash to the finish in Shubaytah on Stage 12 is a 61km sprint. Known for its challenging terrain, the Empty Quarter presents a do-or-die opportunity for Lategan and Cummings to regain the lead.

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