Henk Lategan: "We played Russian roulette today!"

Dakar 2026 | Stage 4 | ALULA > BIVOUAC REFUGE
January 7 ^th 2026 - 14:25 [GMT + 3]

Struck by a flurry of punctures in the previous days, Henk Lategan decided this morning to tear up the rule book and just drive instinctively. The strategy paid off! The South African took the win by 7′03″ over Nasser Al Attiyah, but more importantly, he moved into the overall lead, 3′55″ ahead of the Qatari and his Dacia.

"Yesterday, we had a total of nine punctures. It's unbelievable. I think that's a record in three days. I was lost. I didn't know what to do on the rocks, whether to slow down or not, attack or not. Today I decided to forget all that and just go for it. It's a lottery anyway. We got through the rocks today, we could attack, and we made two small navigation errors, but everyone must have had some.

[7 January] is always a slightly sad day for me because it's my son's birthday. He's turning six. I think there's no excuse for not being with him on this day over the past few years, so I wish him a happy birthday. We're going to go and check the car. Every time we get a puncture at the rear, so I think it happens when the front wheels lift the rocks. It's unpredictable. We played Russian roulette today!"