The 48-hour Chrono Stage put the convoy of the 2025 Dakar Rally into survival mode from start to finish. The two-day, 1,000 kilometre challenge over mixed terrain, including dunes, pushed competitors to the absolute limit. As well as high-profile retirements there were also some surprising names rising up the rankings. Let’s assess the scene after a truly wild ride…
Nasser Al-Attiyah attacked from the front for two full days to put his Dacia Sandrider on the overall podium. The five-time Dakar winner has given himself the perfect platform to fight for the lead over the 10 stages still to come at this desert odyssey.
“We had a puncture for the last 50km and also an issue with the power-steering. It was tough to get through this stage with all the dust. We’re now third overall and with a good road position for tomorrow.” – Nasser Al-Attiyah
Al-Attiyah’s Dacia team-mate Sébastien Loeb battled back from an overheating issue to end the stage strongly and finish less than 20 minutes behind overall Ultimate class leader Henk Lategan. The news was not so positive for the third Dacia driver, Cristina Gutiérrez. The Spaniard was towed out of the special stage at the 729km mark by her assistance truck.
Ultimate class rookies Toby Price and Sam Sunderland are up to fourth overall after a near faultless performance on the 48-hour Chrono Stage. With Price behind the wheel and Sunderland reading the roadbook, this pair of former champion bikers have adapted quickly to their new challenge.
“That was a mission for sure! At one point we got past Nasser and we were opening the way, but then he just blew back by us. Sammy did a great job and I gave his head a good rattle.” – Toby Price
Setting the fastest time through the mammoth stage was another Ultimate class rookie, Rokas Baciuška. The Lithuanian driver stuck to his task despite getting caught up in traffic during the stage (Baciuška was later given back the time he lost at refuelling).
“This was a hard stage for everyone. The route to our overnight bivouac was not easy to manage. I think we won the stage because we got held up at the refuelling for over 10 minutes so they need to compensate us that time.” – Rokas Baciuška
Dakar debutants M-Sport Ford had mixed results on the two-day stage. Mattias Ekström drove his Ford Raptor T1+ to eighth place on the stage and now sits in fifth place overall. Ekström is joined in the Top 10 by his Ford team-mate Mitch Guthrie Jr. who is enjoying his first shot at the Ultimate class.
“It feels like we just finished the whole rally, but it’s only Stage 2! We had a good first day getting used to the car in the dunes. We had some craziness; helping out Carlos, getting stuck and a bit of navigation. We ended up opening for a while on the dunes so that was a first for me.” – Mitch Guthrie Jr.
There were bumps in road for the Raptors driven by defending champion Carlos Sainz and former Dakar winner Nani Roma. Sainz’s Raptor flipped over in the dunes on the first day of the 48-hour stage and will be inspected by the FIA to determine if he is given the green light to restart the rally on tomorrow's stage. Meanwhile, Roma came to a stop 766km into the special and was towed back to Bisha.
Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers Lucas Moraes and Seth Quintero remain in contact with the front of the race while Giniel de Villiers and Guillaume De Mévius both suffered significant time losses on their two-day adventure over the dunes.
Daniel Sanders’s impeccable start to the 2025 Dakar Rally continued on the 48-hour Chrono Stage. The Australian biker covered the 958km distance in a time of 11h12m13s and once again set the fastest time on two wheels. Sanders’s rapid start to this Dakar has given him an early lead in the overall rankings of 12m36s over second placed biker Skyler Howes.
“When you’re opening there’s no line so you didn’t know if it’s going to be a soft or hard dune. Everyone bunched up because of the dust so we were fighting to get ahead and get the opening bonus. I don’t feel tired at all and I’m ready for what’s still to come.” – Daniel Sanders
Sanders’s Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team-mate Luciano Benavides is sixth overall, a little over 20 minutes off the lead. Luciano’s older brother Kevin Benavides is also still in the fight despite his race against the clock to recover from injuries sustained last season.
The fourth Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Edgar Canet is placed top of the Rally2 rankings after four days of racing at the Dakar. The rookie stood up to everything the 48-hour Chrono Stage threw at him.
“It’s by far the longest stage I’ve ever done in my life. I didn’t crash or get lost for a lot of time so for this I’m happy. Now I’ll rest for tomorrow” – Edgar Canet
Things remain bunched up in the Challenger class with Gonçalo Guerreiro leading the charge for the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team. The Portuguese rookie has his Taurus T3 Max just 6m20s off race leader Nicolas Cavigliasso.
“We had a tense moment in the dunes yesterday but we were able to fix the car. No issues other than that and we’re still in the game.” – Gonçalo Guerreiro
Guerreiro’s fellow Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team driver Corbin Leaverton is also on the overall podium. The American holds third place in the general classification after achieving the same result on the 48-hour Chrono Stage.
“Man, I’m happy to be here at the end of the 48-hour Chrono Stage. This is something that everybody, including myself, was a little worried about.” – Corbin Leaverton
The Taurus T3 Max machines of Pau Navarro and Dania Akeel are separated by just 30 seconds after more than 17 hours of racing at the 2025 Dakar Rally. Navarro is fifth overall in the Challenger class while Akeel is sixth.
“That was the longest stage I ever drove in my life. We did lose time here and there for minor things, but there were no major issues. I think we went up in the overall rankings of our class so I’m happy.” – Dania Akeel
The 48-hour Chrono Stage was tough on Francisco López in the SSV class as he lost close to three hours on the race leader. The Chilean will now work on his Can-Am with his team of mechanics and hope for better on the 10 remaining stages of this Dakar.
Tomorrow sees the 2025 Dakar Rally depart Bisha for the final time and head north to Al Henakiyah. The opening section of Stage 3 will be technical and a test for the bikers in particular. Then, the speeds will be stepped up as the convoy moves towards its new home for the night. The timed special stage measures a modified distance of 327km, plus there’s also a liaison route of 521km to tackle.
Source: Red Bull Desert Wings
Photo:Kin Marcin / Red Bull Content Pool
Disclaimer:
As a service to the sport we all love and follow, Rally-Raid Network posts numerous media releases from a wide variety of sources on our website. Due to the large number, and some times short time available, it is nearly impossible to review each public release. These articles are written by reporters or press officers who work for various organizers, teams, drivers, riders, and other parties, and they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rally-Raid Network.
