AssetID: 54428697
Headline: RAW VIDEO: All The Action From Sunday's Dakar Rally Stage 7
Caption: Sunday's Stage 7 of the Dakar Rally around the Al Duwadimi bivouac descended into confusion in the Ultimate class due to an error in the roadbook. Leading competitors, including Nasser Al-Attiyah and Guillaume De Mévius, lost nearly an hour searching fruitlessly for a waypoint. Organisers later announced a 20km segment would be excluded from the timings due to the mistake, with Brazil's Lucas Moraes emerging victorious thanks to his first stage win of the 47th edition. South African Henk Lategan clings to the overall lead in the Ultimate class, though Swede Mattias Ekström is now just 10 minutes and 25 seconds behind in third place in his Ford Raptor T1+. Five-time winner Al-Attiyah remains in contention, trailing by 21m57s. Reflecting on the day, 46-year-old Ekström said: "There was a problem in the roadbook, so we ended up looking like clowns in the circus. That bit wasn't so fun, but afterwards we drove as well as we could. It was quite difficult." Meanwhile, the rally saw the retirements of Toby Price and 2009 champion Giniel de Villiers due to injuries sustained by their co-drivers, Sam Sunderland and Dirk von Zitzewitz. Price, 37, explained: "We had an issue with the car that pushed us back into the dust with poor visibility, and Sammy took another blow to the head, losing vision. It's a shame to finish like this, and we're both gutted. We can fix cars but not humans, and Sam is family to me, so his health comes first." On two wheels, Daniel Sanders delivered another faultless performance, securing his fifth 2025 stage win for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and extending his overall lead to 15m33s. The 30-year-old Australian said: "My speed was good, my head was good, and my focus was good. We're here to win, and we're doing everything we can to make that happen." In the Challenger class, American Corbin Leaverton claimed his second stage win of 2025, moving into sixth overall, while his Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team teammate, Portugal’s Gonçalo Guerreiro, remains better positioned to challenge for the title, lying 30m37s behind leader Nicolas Cavigliasso. Guerreiro, 24, remarked: "We're giving everything we have on every stage. I'm happy we could pass the big dunes today." In the SSV class, Francisco "Chaleco" López narrowed the gap to second-placed Xavier De Soultrait, cutting the margin to 20 minutes. Organisers have described Monday's Stage 8 between Al Duwadimi and Riyadh as "hectic and varied," with the 480km timed special stage expected to shake up the standings.
Keywords: dakar rally,feature,video,photo,motoring,motor racing
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