In the third stage of the Dakar Rally 2024, covering a challenging stretch of 438 km from Al Duwadimi to Al Salamiya, the competition intensified with an exciting battle for the lead. Lucas Moraes from Toyota, Mattias Ekstrom from Audi, Yazeed Al-Rajhi from Overdrive, and defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah from Prodrive faced off in a fierce contest for victory.
Al-Rajhi secured the third position in this stage, which also propelled him to the overall lead. He now leads by 29 seconds over Carlos Sainz, who finished sixth for Audi after a close encounter with his vehicle and a puncture that cost him valuable time.
Sainz's teammate at Audi, Ekstrom, is now third in the overall standings, trailing by 8 minutes and 26 seconds. Moraes' victory pushed him to the fourth position overall, while Al-Attiyah, attempting to close a gap of 10 minutes and 49 seconds, is now fifth.
Among other notable participants is Stephane Peterhansel, positioned in sixth place after achieving his 50th stage victory in the Dakar Rally. Sebastien Loeb, nine-time World Rally champion, currently holds the ninth place, still seeking his first victory in the Dakar Rally.
| Pos. | Drivers | Team | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L. MORAES A. MONLEON | TOYOTA GAZOO RACING | 4:14:51 |
| 2 | M. EKSTRÖM E. BERGKVIST | TEAM AUDI SPORT | +0:09 (2nd) |
| 3 | Y. AL RAJHI T. GOTTSCHALK | OVERDRIVE RACING | +1:09 |
| 4 | N. AL-ATTIYAHM. BAUMEL | NASSER RACING | +1:33 |
| 5 | R. DUMAS M. DELFINO | ULT #231 - REBELLION RACING | +2:01 |
| 6 | C. SAINZ L. CRUZ | TEAM AUDI SPORT | +3:29 |
| 7 | M. SERRADORI L. MINAUDIER | CENTURY RACING FACTORY TEAM | +5:21 |
| 8 | S. PETERHANSEL E. BOULANGER | TEAM AUDI SPORT | +7:49 |
| 9 | M. PROKOP V. CHYTKA | ORLEN JIPOCAR TEAM | +14:55 |
| 10 | S. VITSE F. LEFEBVRE | MD RALLYE SPORT | +17:36 |
