The high-speed Stage 8 route around Wadi ad Dawasir included a 483 km competitive section and took place mostly on dirt tracks and sand. It passed through a variety of spectacular landscapes, including dunes, canyons and dry riverbeds, challenging drivers and navigators alike.
Following their frustrating Sunday – when they led until a late damper problem – Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings were on the pace from the start, despite an early puncture. They took the lead around the midway point but could not build a significant gap.
With today’s finishing position determining the starting order for Tuesday’s marathon, strategy came into play. A strong result would likely see the #202 DKR GR Hilux lose time with the daunting navigational task of opening Stage 9. To minimise that risk, Lategan and Cummings stopped on the roadside to concede time, and they eventually finished second behind Saood Variawa and François Cazalet (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing South Africa).
Despite that, they still closed the gap to leader Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandriders) to six minutes, with five stages, including more than 1,500 km of competitive action, remaining.
Seth Quintero and Andrew Short overcame their relatively early starting position to run in the top six from the beginning and moved into top-three contention just before the midpoint. The #203 DKR GR Hilux narrowly missed a podium on its way to fourth, just eight seconds behind third-placed Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist (Ford Racing). Quintero and Short continued to recover time in the overall standings and are now 15th.
Toby Price and Armand Monleón were the fourth vehicle on to the stage in their #204 DKR GR Hilux, making navigation harder with fewer tracks to follow. They recovered from a puncture to deliver another consistent performance on the way to a solid 13th place, moving to 11th overall, within five minutes of the top 10.
Competition for overall positions will intensify on Tuesday when the second marathon stage begins. Competitors face 418 km of competition on treacherous rocky tracks before a dune section leads them to the bivouac, where they will sleep in tents alongside their vehicles.
