AlUla, January 10, 2025 – The fifth stage of the Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2025 got underway today with competitors facing a demanding 492-kilometer route from AlUla to Hail, including 428 kilometers of timed special stages. The stage was marked by intense competition across all categories, showcasing the skill, endurance, and strategy required to navigate one of the world’s toughest motorsport events.
In the car category, American Seth Quintero of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team emerged victorious, completing the course in 4 hours, 32 minutes, and 53 seconds. His performance was nothing short of remarkable, as he clinched first place by just one second, narrowly edging out Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, who drives for the Dacia Sandrider team. Al-Attiyah, a five-time Dakar Rally champion, fought hard to close the gap but ultimately finished in second place. Swedish driver Mattias Ekström, representing Ford Motorsport, secured third place, finishing only 8 seconds behind Quintero, demonstrating how competitive this year’s rally has been.
Despite today’s close finish, Henk Lategan of Toyota Gazoo Racing remains in the overall lead in the car category standings, with Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi of the Overdrive team holding onto second place, despite a fifth-place finish in this stage. Mattias Ekström maintains third overall, while Nasser Al-Attiyah’s strong performance in Stage 5 has propelled him to fourth place in the overall standings, keeping the top positions tightly contested as the rally progresses.
In the motorcycle category, Uruguayan Luciano Benavides of the Red Bull KTM team claimed first place in today’s stage with a time of 4 hours and 53 minutes. Benavides had a tight contest with Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren, who represents the Monster Energy Honda HRC team. Van Beveren finished just 47 seconds behind the leader, while Chilean rider José Ignacio Cornejo Florimo, competing for Hero Motorsports, took third place, 1 minute and 31 seconds behind Benavides, rounding off a competitive top three.
The lightweight Challenger vehicles category saw Saudi driver Yasir ibn Seaidan of the BBR team claim first place in 4 hours, 51 minutes, and 27 seconds. Dutch driver Paul Spierings, competing for Rebellion & Spierings, finished in second place, 8 minutes and 22 seconds behind ibn Seaidan, while Qatari driver Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari of the Nasser Racing team finished in third, 8 minutes and 52 seconds off the leader’s time.
In the SSV (Side by Side Vehicles) category, Chilean Francisco Lopez Contardo of the Can-Am Factory team triumphed with a time of 5 hours, 2 minutes, and 26 seconds. American Brock Heger of the Sebastien Loeb Racing team finished second, 20 minutes and 48 seconds behind, closely followed by his teammate, Frenchman Xavier de Soultrait, who came third, just 3 seconds behind Heger.
In the truck category, Czech driver Martin Macík of the MM Technology team secured the top spot with a time of 5 hours, 1 minute, and 53 seconds. His teammate, Dutchman Kees Koolen, finished second, 18 minutes and 42 seconds behind, while Dutch driver Mitchel van den Brink, competing for the Eurol Rally Sport team, claimed third place, 39 minutes and 37 seconds behind Macík.
The Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia will now take a well-deserved rest day tomorrow, giving competitors a chance to recover and prepare for the grueling challenges ahead. The rally will resume on Saturday with the sixth stage, covering a daunting 829-kilometer route from Hail to Dawadmi, including 605 kilometers of timed special stages. The race is far from over, and the competition promises to intensify in the days to come.
