A CRUSHING BLOW: YAZEED AL RAJHI STUMBLES AT THE FIRST HURDLE
The reigning Dakar champion in the car category had finished sixth in the prologue, in line with his usual discretion at the front of the race, but today was a completely different story. The Saudi initially crossed the finish line with the 20th-fastest time, only to be slapped with 16 minutes in penalties for missing a waypoint and speeding. Al Rajhi now sits 38th overall at 28′52″. Overturning such a deficit is going to be difficult, but not impossible. Three days ago, during scrutineering, the title holder had been asked time and again about his condition following his accident in competition at the beginning of 2025. He said, "In the Dakar, there's no need to attack from the beginning, you need to go on the offence at the right time". But, for Al Rajhi, it is now or never.
