France’s Sébastien Loeb, driving for Prodrive, confirmed his strong form by securing a third consecutive Dakar victory. In the grueling Rub al-Khali desert, also known as the Empty Quarter, Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar kept his campaign on track for a fifth Touareg title, remaining a steady force at the helm of the overall standings.
With Spaniard Carlos Sainz absent after retirement early in the ninth special due to unrepaired damage, Dakar continued to highlight two dominant names: Loeb and Al-Attiyah. The field pressed on with confidence, shaping the general classification as the pair pulled clear of the rest.
Across a course of 510 kilometers of liaison and a short but intense special stage, the Haradh to travel route in Saudi Arabia rolled out like a proving ground. The route was opened decisively by a late-rising Alsace competitor who set the pace from the start and carried it through the stage with notable precision.
At the first waypoint, around the 29-kilometer mark, the leader held a 28-second edge over Lithuanian Vaidotas Zala of Prodrive, with a 1:17 gap to the overall leader. Brazilian Lucas Moraes, in a Toyota, sat just three seconds behind the Qatari and the Swede in the opening stretch. Mattias Ekström, the sole Audi survivor in Dakar 2023, finished the stage in fifth with a time gap of 1:25. The nine-time world rally champion showed his skill in a challenging rally.
The Alsatian extended the advantage by kilometer 60, leading Moraes by 2:28, Ekström by 3:47, and Al-Attiyah by 3:02. Zala encountered a mechanical issue 16 kilometers earlier, knocking him out of the running. The stage was starting to tilt in favor of the previous two Dakar winners, yet Loeb kept pressing forward.
Loeb lost some time to Ekström in the subsequent section but still managed to pull ahead of the Swede by 2:35 as they crossed the final waypoint at kilometer 84. Moraes, meanwhile, was moving through at 3:16. Loeb crossed the finish line after completing the stage in 1 hour, 48 minutes, and 32 seconds, more than three minutes ahead of the Audi pilot, after Sainz and Stéphane Peterhansel had already exited the rally. Moraes finished third, 5 minutes and 22 seconds behind the winner.
Al-Attiyah conceded time in relation to Loeb, finishing 5 minutes and 45 seconds behind, but with four stages remaining, the Frenchman held a 1 hour, 37 minute, and 23-second lead in the overall, with Moraes in second place at 1:21:34. The endurance of the remaining days suggested a calm march toward the finish, as teams continued to battle the arid, sprawling desert of the Empty Quarter.
Branch wins on motorcycle
Botswana rider Ross Branch, aboard a Hero machine, clinched victory in the opening motorcycle sector of the Empty Quarter, with Argentine Kevin Benavides on a KTM taking the lead in the motorcycle standings. The result pushed American Skyler Howes of Husqvarna further down the order early in Dakar 2023’s motorcycle battles.
This marked the second stage win for Branch this Dakar and a third stage victory for Hero, underscoring the Indian manufacturer’s strong participation across the event. The field would see a day of intense riding as competitors prepared for the two-day marathon through the unforgiving dunes of the desert region.
The tenth stage presented the shortest Dakar 2023 special, just 114 kilometers, following 510 kilometers of liaison between Haradh and Shaybah. It served as a prelude to the marathon days ahead in the Empty Quarter, where the riders would experience some of the most demanding conditions of the race.
Argentine Luciano Benavides on a Husqvarna claimed the first stage win by repeating a stage victory in this Dakar edition, opening the route and taking a two-minute bonus for the day. The field continued to press forward with relentless momentum as the rally advanced toward its concluding phases.
Another Husqvarna rider, South Africa’s Michael Docherty, contesting Rally2 in the motorcycle category, posted the best time at the first checkpoint at kilometer 29, just seven seconds ahead of Adrien Van Beveren of Honda and twelve seconds ahead of Kevin Benavides, the elder Benavides brother, who rode a KTM. The group of leaders then lined up to begin the deeper sections of the stage, including Tosha Schareina who adjusted the stop time to aid Joan Barreda, though she still finished behind the early trio by just over a minute.
Mid-stage, at kilometer 60, Van Beveren improved Docherty’s time by eleven seconds and moved ahead of Kevin Benavides by twenty-one seconds. In the mix behind them stood Botswana’s Branch and Chilean riders Paul Quintanilla (Sling) in a tight field. At the final waypoint around kilometer 84, the Argentine Benavides held an eleven-second cushion over the still-leading Frenchman, while Branch was hot on his heels by a single second, with Docherty close behind in fourth position, just three seconds from Branch’s pace.
With Dakar 2021 winner Kevin Benavides leading the overall motorcycle standings, the day’s results pushed him ahead of Skyler Howes by one second, leaving him with a strong position as the rally reached its mid-point. The Husqvarna squad remained a formidable presence, with Toby Price in contention as the rally progressed, while Schareina and Docherty continued to shape the top ranks as the two-wheeled drama intensified. The day closed with Benavides holding a slim lead, just a few seconds ahead of his pursuers as riders pressed toward the next test under the desert sun.
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