Ford secured its second straight stage win at the Dakar Rally on Thursday, with Mattias Ekstrom following up Nani Roma's Stage 10 win by besting Nasser Al-Attiyah -- his rival for the final podium place -- by 41 seconds on the dunes of Saudi Arabia's Empty Quarter.

Yazeed Al-Rajhi is set to win the Dakar Rally on home soil in the Saudi desert after retaking the lead from South Africa’s Henk Lategan.

Yazeed al-Rajhi took the overall lead in the car standings at the Dakar Rally after finishing third in Thursday's decisive penultimate stage.

Henk Lategan and Yazeed Al-Rajhi will duel in the Saudi sand for their first Dakar Rally title after swapping the lead for a second straight day.

Henk Lategan and Yazeed Al-Rajhi will duel in the Saudi sand for their first Dakar Rally title after swapping the lead for a second straight day Wednesday. South Africa's Lategan leads his Saudi rival by 2 1/2 minutes going into the 11th and penultimate stage in the Empty Quarter dunes.

Local driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi closed to within a minute of leader Henk Lategan in the cars category for the 2025 Dakar Rally. Here's all the highlights from what was a huge day in the Dakar in Saudi Arabia.