Loeb’s Dakar victory hopes end with mechanical issues on Stage 11

The 420km test between Al-‘Ula and Yanbu was expected to be one of the toughest stages of 2024, as it ran through some of the areas that caused so many punctures in last year’s edition of the rally-raid.

Loeb had been trying to overhaul Audi’s Carlos Sainz for the lead when a problem developed on the right-front triangle of his Hunter after a stone hit, leaving him stranded 132km into the stage.

After waiting for about 20 minutes, the organisation reported that the nine-time World Rally champion had asked for assistance crew to arrive and rescue him from Stage 11.

“Sebastien Loeb and his co-pilot Fabian Lurquin have been stopped at kilometer 132 for about twenty minutes,” it said.

“Sebastien Loeb has been halted at 132 km due to broken front right-hand A-arm. The Frenchman is reported to have asked his assistance to pick him up and exit the special. He will be able to take starter’s orders tomorrow, but the fight for overall victory is over”.

Up to that point, the Frenchman had lost a few seconds to Sainz, who held a comfortable lead of 13m22s going into the penultimate stage.

While Loeb’s chances of a victory in 2024 were already wearing thin, the issue has now formally sent him out of reckoning in his eighth appearance at the event.

It also means Sainz is now well on his way to a third victory on Dakar, with the next-best car of factory Toyota driver Lucas Moraes trailing him by more than an hour.

Sainz can also call on his Audi team-mates Stephane Peterhansel and Mattias Ekstrom for help, with both starting behind the stage him to cover the Spaniard in case of a puncture.

Loeb has hadn’t this luxury since team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah withdrew from the rally on Wednesday with his own set of issues with the Prodrive. On Stage 10, Loeb picked up two punctures and also lost time with an issue with the jack, forcing him to drop his car into a small hole to raise the opposite corner.