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Dakar Rally: De Mevius Claims Stage Win as Lategan’s Lead Diminishes
Guillaume de Mevius secured a commanding victory for X-raid Mini during Stage 6 of the Dakar Rally, notably narrowing the gap to overall leader Henk Lategan, whose advantage is now just seven minutes.
Following a rest day in Ha’il, the rally resumed with a challenging 605-kilometer stage toward Al Duwadimi, incorporating a special 171-kilometer transfer section that was not timed, adding layers of strategy to the stage.
Toyota’s Guy Botterill made an impressive start, leading early on with his factory Hilux and building a 1 minute 26 second advantage over de Mevius as they approached the transfer section. However, Botterill’s fortunes took a turn when he encountered difficulties near the final checkpoints, costing him five minutes and causing him to tumble from first to fifth by the end of the stage.
This unexpected shift allowed de Mevius to capitalize on Botterill’s misfortune. He navigated the last 100 kilometers with remarkable precision, ultimately earning his second stage win in Dakar with a time that was 1 minute 34 seconds faster than teammate Joao Ferreira, who finished in second place.
Ferreira initially trailed the frontrunners by as much as five minutes but displayed determination and skill to reclaim lost time, passing Overdrive Toyota’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi in the closing 28 kilometers to secure his position.
Dacia’s Nasser Al-Attiyah, who faced challenges but managed to improve his standing during the race, achieved a solid finish in third place, just 2 minutes 1 second behind de Mevius. Al-Rajhi, who had to borrow a spare wheel from fellow competitor Saood Variawa, fell to fifth by the stage’s conclusion, with Botterill and other Toyota drivers Rokas Bociuska and Lategan rounding out the top positions.
Ford did not fare well against the dominant Toyota and Mini teams; Mattias Ekstrom ended the stage in eighth, trailing by 8 minutes 9 seconds, while teammate Nani Roma finished in 10th place, separated by customer entry Martin Prokop’s MP Sports Raptor.
Two notable competitors faced setbacks during the stage. Lucas Moraes of Toyota, positioned fifth overall, encountered mechanical issues early on, resulting in a lost time of an hour and a half. Meanwhile, Guerlain Chicherit from X-raid was forced to retire after rolling over his Mini just 16 kilometers into the stage.
In the overall standings, Lategan remains in the lead but his margin has decreased to approximately 7 minutes 16 seconds, with six stages still ahead. Ekstrom holds third place, 22 minutes behind Lategan, while Al-Attiyah, after suffering a penalty on Stage 5, is now 30 minutes 25 seconds adrift.
The withdrawal of Moraes has allowed Ford’s Mitch Guthrie Jr. to ascend to fifth in the rankings, while Mathieu Serradori now occupies sixth place with his Century CR7.
Source
www.autosport.com