Schareina continues to cut Sanders and Brabec wins the sixth stage

The Spanish rider Tosha Schareina (Honda) took a step forward in the fight for the 2025 Dakar Rally motorcycle title by cutting time in the general classification in the sixth stage, a 605-kilometer special between Hail and Al Duwadimi (Saudi Arabia), although he is still more than eleven minutes behind the leader, the Australian Daniel Sanders (KTM), and the Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia) has also gotten closer to the South African Henk Lategan (Toyota), who holds the lead.

In the resumption of the ‘raid’ after the only day of rest, the leader of the motorcycle classification gambled and let slip part of his advantage over his pursuers in the general classification: the Valencian -now at 11:46-; the American Ricky Brabec (Honda), winner of the stage, and the Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren (Honda). “The important thing today was not to finish too well before tomorrow’s stage, which promises to be difficult and in which I don’t want to come out ahead,” warned Sanders.

Brabec stopped the clock at 5:00:51 and was just 23 seconds ahead of Van Beveren, Thursday’s winner, and 51 seconds ahead of Chilean Nacho Cornejo (Hero). Schareina finished fourth, 2:27 behind the day’s winner. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) from Salamanca was sixth at 3:47 and is ninth overall, more than an hour behind Sanders -1:09:28-.

All in a stage encouraged by the American Mason Klein (Kove Factory Racing), the fastest in almost all the checkpoints but who lost steam in the final stretch, where the favorites began to respond. Finally, he finished seventh, 4:22 behind Saturday’s winner.

In addition, the day left two abandonments on two wheels: that of the 2024 rally raid world champion and until now third overall, the South African Ross Branch (Hero), who fell at kilometer 48; and that of his compatriot Bradley Cox (Toyota).

In cars, the Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia), despite opening the track, managed to cut some of the more than half an hour of disadvantage he had with respect to the general leader, the South African Henk Lategan (Toyota), with the Belgian Guillaume de Mévius (Mini) as stage winner.

It was a tough stage in the premier category, with early abandonment by the Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit (Mini) – who overturned with his car at kilometer 16 of the special – and in which the Saudi Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) set the pace in several checkpoints until De Mévius and South African David Guy Botterill (Toyota) took command.

The Toyota driver gave way in the final stretch, but not the Belgian, who managed to reach the finish line with a time of 4:34:49, 1:34 ahead of the Portuguese Joao Ferreira (Mini). Meanwhile, Al Attiyah entered the finish line third, 2:01 behind the winner and, more importantly, with a minute and a half advantage over Al Rajhi and, above all, four and a half minutes over Lategan.

The South African continues to lead the standings, with 7:16 over the Saudi and 22:27 over the Swede Mattias Ekström (Ford). Al Attiyah is fourth, 30:25 behind Lategan. The Dakar participants will face the seventh stage this Sunday, starting and finishing in Al Duwadimi.