Dakar 2025 – Stage 8: Henk Lategan strengthens his first place overall

He was under pressure after seeing his closest rival come within about twenty seconds of him in the general classification. Henk Lategan showed his competitors today that he was firmly holding onto his first place in the standings and that they would have to double their efforts to overtake him.

With a time five minutes faster than Yazeed Al Rajhi, eighteen minutes faster than Matias Ekström, and twelve minutes faster than Nasser Al-Attiyah, the South African increases his lead and will enter the Empty Quarter as the frontrunner. That might be the only bad news for the Toyota driver tonight.

With only four days of racing left, three of them will take place in an ocean of dunes where navigation and crossing will be key. The organizers have decided to place several key stages at the end of the rally. The competitors are well aware of this, and it will be interesting to see what strategy each will employ.

Regulars of the desert for many years, Al Rajhi and Al-Attiyah could stand out. The Saudi may have a unique chance to finally triumph in the Dakar, especially on home soil. The Qatari, despite being half an hour behind Latgan, is not yet out of the fight for the final victory and will use his experience of the dunes to catch up with the leaders.

Finally, special mention to the French duo Mathieu Serradoir / Loïc Minaudier. Aboard their Century CR7, they secured third place in the stage of the day and continue their impressive performance, nearing the top 5 overall.

Stage 8 Ranking

Overall ranking