Al-Rajhi conquers the most insignificant stage of the Dakar and Sainz continues to lose options

After the coup de grâce of yesterday's stage, which left half a title in the Peterhansel showcase, there was little at stake today in the car category. The Qatari driver and sheikh Nasser al-Attiyah won second place, although he was only able to cut 49 seconds off the Gaul, who crossed the finish line in third.

Sainz finished fourth at 4:12 from the leader of the special, Yazeed al-Rajhi. The Saudi driver was the fastest of the tenth stage. The 342-kilometre special stage between Neom and Al-Ula was undoubtedly the most inconsequential since the start of the competition.

"The key to the Dakar will be tomorrow", said Al-Attiyah. "There are no strategic options, we will have to start strong and find a good rhythm, although it will be a complicated stage in terms of navigation as well". The Qatari driver remains second overall, 17 minutes and 1 second behind Peterhansel.

Sainz will relinquish his throne except for the catastrophe of the two main favourites on the penultimate day of the 511 km special between Al-Ula and Yanbu, which will be held this coming Thursday. The Madrid driver is more than an hour away from the leader in the general classification.

The Spaniard has again registered some problems in the first kilometres, although he has been able to hold on to the stage and has barely given up any time. In any case, he must expect a miracle. Nani Roma, for his part, maintains fifth place in the general standings in what can already be considered a great performance on the Dakar.

The two-wheeler category still allows for significant changes. The tenth 342-kilometre special between Neom and Al-Ula led to a return in the overall rankings. Cornejo lost all chance of winning after a fall while leading the race.

The Chilean managed to resume the march and reach the finish line losing almost 18 minutes to Ricky Brabec, who added his second partial victory. However, he was forced to quit after undergoing a medical examination, so the fight for the title remains a one-on-one with his teammates.

Benavides returns. He is leading, although he has only a 1 minute and 7 second lead over Brabec, while the Castilian driver Joan Barreda is now in fourth position. Barreda finished second in the stage at 3:15 from Benavides and is now a quarter of an hour off the lead.

The Spaniards Lorenzo Santolino and Laia Sanz remain in eighth and twentieth position respectively.