The former leader of the car category Yazeed Al-Rajhi withdrew from Stage 6 after an accident in the early part of the day.
Today’s stage is not like any other as it marks the start of the 48-hour Chrono during which the drivers will have to cover 549 km in two days. The special featured a lot of tricky passages through the dunes, and Al-Rajhi has been a victim of the sand.
The Dakar’s official website reads that after not being able to repair his car after km 51, Al-Rajhi and the crew “are currently returning to the start of the special”. That means that they seem to have abandoned every hope of resuming the race today.
He would be allowed to continue the race starting from Stage 7 should his car be repaired in time and comply with the FIA safety rules.
Today’s crash shatters his hopes of winning the Dakar Rally, and the overall leader is now Carlos Sainz.