Stage 4 of the Dakar Rally was the first of two marathon stages. Wednesday night, the competitors camped in the desert without the comforts of the bivouac and support teams. By the end of Thursday, everyone was ready to get back to their support teams after a grueling Stage 5.
In the car class, it was another Ford podium. Mitch Guthrie Jr. claimed his second stage victory of this Dakar after a strong performance over the 371 km timed special. Nani Roma crossed the line fastest but a speeding penalty moved him to second. Rounding out the podium in 3rd was Martin Prokop.
In the bike class, Luciano Benavides won the stage with Nacho Cornejo second and Daniel Sanders third. Sanders has regained the overall motorcycle lead with Ricky Brabec a close second.
Kyle Chaney was the stage winner in the SSV class. Brock Heger maintains a significant lead in the class. Chaney’s win moves him up to third in the overall standings.