Pictures by Kin Marcin / Red Bull Content Pool
Text by Mike Charopka

Those following the Dakar Rally 2025 have plenty of ways to stay engaged. They can watch daily highlights, read posts on dedicated websites, or—like me—follow the live text updates on the official Dakar website. Today’s updates made for some of the most exciting reading yet.

Ford vs. Dacia

This thrilling battle has had me hooked even before the race began: two new cars, two new teams, and star-studded line-ups. After only four days of racing, here’s how things stand: one Dacia representative, Nasser Al-Attiyah, is fighting both his car and a significant time gap to the leader. He’s receiving technical support from Cristina Gutiérrez, who, after hefty penalties, is no longer in contention.

Meanwhile, Ford still has Mattias Ekström and American Mitchell Guthrie in the race. Ekström is battling to stay on the podium, while Guthrie supports him in case of technical issues.

It seems both teams have balanced their chances, but after four stages, Ekström holds third place overall, 21m40s behind the leader, Henk Lategan from Toyota Gazoo Racing. Al-Attiyah sits seventh, 35m53s behind the South African. More intriguingly, Al-Attiyah is just 1m44s behind Guthrie, who occupies sixth place.

This rivalry is worth every moment of attention, especially after Al-Attiyah’s impressive comeback today. He slashed 12 minutes off the gap with relentless attacks, despite earlier mechanical troubles:

“We didn’t have many problems—just one! Actually, we stopped once for a puncture and then again because we broke a rear suspension arm. We had to wait for Cristina, who gave us hers, and then we repaired it and got going again… What else could we do? That’s just how it is. Now the car is fine, and we’ll have to adapt tomorrow and next week. My only option is to attack.”

Triumph in the SSV

Another nail-biting battle unfolded today in the SSV category.

Hunter Miller, who ended Stage 3 in 11th place, found his rhythm in Stage 4, taking the lead at multiple waypoints. He steadily pulled ahead, building a 3m09s gap over João Monteiro by km 151. By the time the earlier starters had reached km 192, Brock Heger had turned up the heat, overtaking Xavier de Soultrait and seizing the virtual overall lead. Heger held a 1m01s advantage over the Frenchman, securing his spot at the top.

But then, Sara Price shifted into high gear, overtook the field, and claimed her second career Dakar stage win:

“We’ve had a really rough Dakar. So we had a clean run today and […] it was so much fun out there. Really just impressed with the machine and the car. The car is perfect. We didn’t want to get in at night, so we were like, okay, we just have to beat the sun—we just have to beat it. When you’re in the nighttime, and you’re in dust, it’s the same thing. You’re just going slower.”

SSV Overall Standings for American Racers:

• 1st: Brock Heger and Max Eddy, SEBASTIEN LOEB RACING – RZR FACTORY RACING, 26h25m40s.

• 9th: Hunter Miller and Andrew Short, CAN-AM FACTORY TEAM, 33h10m18s (+6h44m38s).

• Dakar Experience: Sara Price and Sean Berriman.

The Rest of the Results

Challenger Category

• Corbin Leaverton and Taye Perry are second overall, 25h57m40s (+25h14m).

• Zachary Lumsden and Shannon Moham, COLORADO MOTORSPORT, hold 20th overall with an 8h56m50s deficit.

• Craig Lumsden and Jamie Lambert, also from Colorado Motorsport, are out of the race due to medical issues.

Bikes

In the bike category, the lead changes frequently, but KTM’s Daniel Sanders is beginning to stretch his gap.

• Skyler Howes and Ricky Brabec sit fourth and fifth overall, trailing by 27h01m and 29h13m, respectively.

• Jacob Argubright is 20th, with a 1h48m21s deficit to the leader.

To close, Mason Klein’s words offer a raw glimpse into the grueling nature of Dakar:

“Today went much smoother with the bike—everything worked as it should, which was a huge relief. The real challenge, though, is managing myself. I’m battling severe tendonitis in my right arm, and the pain makes it incredibly hard to hold onto the handlebars. My mind is fully focused on racing, but my body is fighting back, which is so frustrating after all the hard work and training I’ve put in this year.

We’re in the middle of the marathon stage now, where we only get limited time to work on the bike—just the basics like an air filter change. Fingers crossed everything holds up tomorrow.”

The Dakar Rally 2025 continues to deliver drama and excitement, with every stage pushing racers and machines to their limits. Stay tuned—this race is far from over.

CHECK THE RESULTS ON THE OFFICIAL DAKAR DAKAR RALLY WEBSITE: https://www.dakar.live.worldrallyraidchampionship.com/en/car/2/standings

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