Dakar 2023: Loeb defies daytime fatigue with stage wins as Al-Attiyah clings to overall lead; Howes regains moto supremacy

After a tougher start to Dakar 2023, French driver Sébastien Loeb, racing for Prodrive, consoles himself with stage wins as he finished fourth on Thursday, marking his fifth consecutive top result in this edition. Yet only a major setback for Nasser Al-Attiyah of Toyota could open the door for an epic rally back to third place overall.

Loeb continues to log victories across the calendar, while Al-Attiyah consistently highlights his own wins as he presses toward a fifth Dakar. The countdown to that goal has been underway for several days as the event heads deeper into the sands of Saudi Arabia.

The desert sections, described as an empty quadrant with 153 contact kilometers and 274 special kilometers, stretched the field. Drivers surpassed 4,000 timed kilometers from the rally’s start and entered the punishing, dune-filled zones where help is scarce. This marked the first of two marathon days that test endurance when relief support is not available.

Loeb opened the second day with solid pace, and his performance remained strong as he and the Swede in close pursuit reached the first checkpoint at 20 km. Mattias Ekstrom trailed by 33 seconds, fighting to salvage Audi’s honor after high-profile withdrawals from Spain’s Carlos Sainz and France’s Stéphane Peterhansel left the German brand with fewer contenders. Guerlain Chicherit, another Prodrive driver, was just three seconds behind the lone survivors from Audi.

Al-Attiyah played it prudently, avoiding risks that might jeopardize a fifth title. He had already slipped more than a minute by the 20-kilometer mark. Loeb held back slightly, while Lucas Moraes of Toyota stayed in the mix, finishing the stage second overall and sitting a little over 15 minutes behind the French leader.

Loeb remained resilient in the Empty Quarter as the race intensified. Chicherit secured second place 1:08 behind Loeb at kilometer 63, with Ekstrom a distant third, 1:35 off the pace. The gap widened to 1:51 between the Prodrive duo and Audi at the 89-kilometer checkpoint, with Moraes about 3:10 adrift.

The momentum swung further as Loeb extended his advantage mid-race, keeping the stage within reach. Ekstrom finished second at kilometer 189, still three minutes back, while he reduced the deficit with a late surge toward the final waypoint. With 40 kilometers to go, Loeb appeared poised to seal the stage victory.

French drivers began the day with a planned track opening, and he crossed the finish line with a 2:26 lead over Ekstrom. Moraes trailed by 6:12, narrowing the overall gap to within ten minutes of the leader as Al-Attiyah hovered just over Moraes by half a minute.

Qatari Al-Attiyah held a comfortable overall margin of 1:21:04 with three stages remaining, while Moraes and Loeb continued to chase from behind.

Howes regains moto lead

In the motorcycle category, Husqvarna captured a third special victory for the Argentine Luciano Benavides, with American Skyler Howes seizing the overall lead as Dakar entered the eleventh stage between Shaybah and The Empty Quarter. The two-day marathon through the harsh Saudi desert kept riders off-course from external assistance.

Howes, after surrendering the lead to Kevin Benavides of Argentina on Wednesday, refocused and reclaimed the top spot. He had signaled his intention early on, posting the best time at the initial 20 km checkpoint, narrowly ahead of German rider and fellow competitor Luciano Benavides. Sebastian Buhler of Hero trailed by twelve seconds.

Luciano Benavides improved his pace at the 63-kilometer waypoint, extending his lead by four seconds over Buhler and nudging ahead of Chilean rider Quintanilla, who barely edged Buhler. Howes’ challenge intensified as he moved through later checkpoints, erasing gaps and inching closer to the stage crown.

By kilometer 89, Howes stood just nine seconds behind Benavides and 1:24 ahead of Quintanilla. The duel appeared to settle between the two Husqvarnas, with the field still wide open for the others as the course neared halfway through the special at 142 kilometers. Benavides again led the timer by 15 seconds, while Quintanilla settled 1:09 behind.

The top two riders at kilometer 189 remained unchanged, though Australian rider Daniel Sanders (KTM) closed to within fourteen seconds of Quintanilla in the chase for position. As the final waypoint approached, Benavides widened the gap to 1:44 ahead of Howes, with Sanders 1:54 behind and less than 40 kilometers to go.

At the finish, the Salta-born rider clinched his third stage win of Dakar 2023, with Sanders claiming second place 1:38 behind. Australian Toby Price (KTM) took third, just 18 seconds behind Sanders, while Howes finished fourth, 2:09 behind his teammate. Husqvarna held a solid stake on the podium as the riders moved deeper into the rally.

Benavides moved ahead by 6:22 over his brother and 4:13 on Howes, who reclaimed the motos lead. The contest remained tight, with Howes sitting just 28 seconds clear of Price and 2:44 ahead of Benavides as the title chase continued.

Spanish rider Launces Santolino (Sherco) finished eighth, trailing Tosha Shareina (GasGas) who won the stage in 5:43 and placed twelfth at 8:01. They had swapped engines before the Empty Quarter marathon and received a fifteen-minute penalty, which placed them eleventh at 59:00 and fourteenth at 1:46:00 overall.