The 2025 Dakar Rally reached its midway point with the conclusion of Stage 5, which saw competitors traverse a challenging 428-kilometer special stage between AlUla and Hail. The stage featured a mix of quick sandy tracks and treacherous rocky passages, demanding both speed and caution from the riders and drivers.
Quintero Edges Out Al-Attiyah
In the Ultimate category, American prodigy Seth Quintero secured his second stage win of the rally by the slimmest of margins, beating five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah by just one second. The 22-year-old’s victory made him the youngest driver to claim multiple stage wins in the Ultimate class.
“Yesterday we got three flats and lost over an hour, so today I thought let’s just go for it. All in all, it was a really rough Marathon Stage for us, but day two ended up a lot better than day one,” said Quintero, who now sits ninth overall.
Despite a strong performance, Al-Attiyah was handed a 10-minute time penalty for leaving behind a flat tire, pushing him down to fourth in the general classification. South African Henk Lategan continues to lead the category, with Yazeed Al Rajhi and Mattias Ekström rounding out the top three.
Benavides Bounces Back
Luciano Benavides claimed his first stage win of the 2025 Dakar Rally in the bike category, narrowing the gap to overall leader Daniel Sanders to 24 minutes and 15 seconds. The Argentine, who now holds seventh place overall, attributed his success to a strong rhythm throughout the day and a strategic approach to the rally’s second week.
“I got past a lot of guys today and had a good rhythm throughout the day. What’s difficult is identifying the stages that you can really push on. I hope my strategy works better for me in the second week,” explained the 29-year-old.
Canet Impresses in Debut
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Edgar Canet continued to impress in his Dakar debut, leading the Rally2 class and cementing a top-10 position in the overall standings. The 19-year-old Spaniard has claimed three stage wins in his category so far.
“It was a long stage with a mix of sandy piste and some rocks. Some of the navigation points were difficult. We’re halfway and I’m leading Rally2, so I’m happy with how things are going,” revealed Canet.
Challengers and SSVs
In the Challenger class, Portuguese driver Gonçalo Guerreiro reduced Nicolas Cavigliasso’s overall lead to 28 minutes and 34 seconds, while Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team teammate Corbin Leaverton lost significant time on the route to Hail.
Francisco “Chaleco” López secured his second SSV stage win in three days, as Brock Heger maintained his overall lead in the category.
Rest Day Respite
With the conclusion of Stage 5, the Dakar convoy enjoys a well-deserved rest day in Hail, once the capital of the Arabian Desert. Competitors will have the opportunity to recharge and make necessary repairs before tackling the second half of the rally, which resumes with Stage 6 from Hail to Al Duwadimi on Saturday.
Overall Standings After Stage 5
Ultimate:
- Henk Lategan (ZAF) – 28:10.11
- Yazeed Al Rajhi (SAU) – +11.53
- Mattias Ekström (SWE) – +20.54
- Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) – +35.00
- Lucas Moraes (BRA) – +41.55
Challenger:
- Nicolas Cavigliasso (ARG) – 30:38.42
- Gonçalo Guerreiro (POR) – +28.34
- Yasir Seaidan (SAU) – +52.21
- Camelia Liparoti (ITA) – +1:30.56
- Dania Akeel (SAU) – +1:37.59
SSV:
- Brock Heger (USA) – 31:48.54
- Xavier De Soultrait (FRA) – +1:34.29
- Julio Estanguet (ESP) – +1:39.20
- Francisco López (CHL) – +2:01.59
Bike:
- Daniel Sanders (AUS) – 30:20.15
- Tosha Schareina (ESP) – +13.26
- Ross Branch (BWA) – +16.55
- Mason Klein (USA) – +22.32
- José Ignacio Cornejo (CHL) – +22.47
