Stage 8 was the final push before Monday’s rest day. The shortened loop would take competitors south of Al Duwadimi and allow for everyone to have time on the long road section to the Riyadh bivouac.
Sebastien Loeb took command of the car class beating out rival Nasser Al-Attiyah who finished second. Carlos Sainz rounded out the podium in third. Al-Attiyah is still enjoying his overall lead at the halfway point in the rally.
The Red Bull Junior team struggled a bit with Mitch Guthrie Jr only able to pull off a third-place finish in the T3 class. Joao Ferreira brought home the day’s victory.
For the bikes, it was Ross Branch who was tasked with forging the path out front and bringing home the win. Daniel Sanders finished behind Branch. Skyler Howes continues to maintain the overall lead by seconds over Kevin Benavides.
