Guerlain Chicherit and Alex Winocq delivered a remarkable performance in their Prodrive Hunter, winning the stage by 3 minutes and 26 seconds over South African Henk Lategan’s Toyota. Argentinian Orly Terranova secured a close third place in his BRX Prodrive Hunter, marking a successful day for the BRX team.
Carlos Sainz, the overnight leader, fell to eighth place after his Audi was delayed by 30 minutes due to a mechanical issue. Defending champion Nasser Al Attiyah also faced challenges, losing time but maintaining a 13-minute and 20-second overall lead from Saudi’s Yazeed Al Rajhi.
The 447-kilometer stage from Alula to Ha’il was seriously affected by rain, creating pools of water along the route and adding to the difficulty of passing through canyons. As the weather worsened, race officials halted the stage at the 378-kilometer mark to ensure competitor safety, with the results at that point counting.
This decision worked in favor of Chicherit, Terranova, and the BRX team, who had suffered multiple punctures the previous day, dropping them out of contention. Despite the adverse conditions, Lithuanians Vaidotas Zala and Paulo Fiuza also impressed, recording the seventh fastest stage time in their Prodrive Hunter despite two punctures.
Sebastien Loeb, the 2022 Dakar runner-up, started the day determined to secure valuable World Rally Raid Championship points after puncture issues the day before. Unfortunately, he faced more bad luck, having to stop for repairs and losing 20 minutes. However, Loeb quickly made up lost ground before the stage was prematurely ended.
Chicherit, who achieved a historic first victory for the Prodrive Hunter in the Rallye du Maroc in October, showed consistent form. Tackling his 15th Dakar, Terranova, alongside co-driver Alex Haro, demonstrated the resilience and power of the Prodrive Hunter with another impressive recovery.
A delighted Chicherit commented on the day’s success, saying, “It’s great. We were on a good pace without pushing especially hard, just keeping the same strategy we had from this rally’s start.
Sure, it’s upsetting what happened yesterday, but now we’ve proved what we can do, so we’ll stay focused and do the rally the way we planned by getting some good times and points for the World Rally Raid Championship.”
The Dakar Rally continues, promising more challenges and opportunities for the Prodrive Hunters to demonstrate their capabilities.