Stage 2 Yanbu β Al Ula π
Heading inland towards AlUla, the landscape quickly becomes mountainous: the horizon is rugged in every direction.
βΉοΈ Stage info βΉοΈ
Yanbu β Al Ula
There will be numerous changes of pace over the first 200 kilometres, with some very fast tracks, but the winding, rocky sections mean we can never cover 20 kilometres at the same speed.
Liaison > 104 km
Special > 400 km
As on the previous day, a pit stop will be useful for some to fit brand new tyres. To reach the finish line after leaving the hilly terrain, we must increase the average speed.
π We Keep on Rollin’ fast with Zalaβs P2 Finish in second stage Dakar Rally π
ALULA β Following Ales Lopraisβs victory in the opening stage, Team De Rooy FPT delivered another stellar performance in the truck class during Stage 2 of the Dakar Rally. Vaidotas Zala finished the grueling run from Yanbu to AlUla in second place, closing to within just three minutes of standings leader Mitchel van den Brink.
π #604 NΓΈrdis Team de Rooy FPT π
βGiven how tough the day was, Iβm really happy to have made it to the finish without any major issues,β Zala said shortly after crossing the line. βI saw a bunch of vehicles on their sides. It was brutal out there for everyone. I think everybody had a few flats. The racing stayed tight all day.β
For most of the stage, Zala found himself chasing defending champion Martin Macik, but the Lithuanian managed to overtake the Czech driver in the dunes just before the finish. βThat was a great way to end the stage.β He ended up 32 seconds short of the stage win, which went to Gert Huzink.
Precision driving
While he was happy with the result, he hadnβt exactly had fun out there. βIt was a tough day,β he admitted. βThe low visibility really messed with us. So we tried to be as precise as possible, especially through the rocky sections.β
He continued: βThose sections are notorious for razor-sharp rocks. Itβs pretty tricky keeping a ten-ton truck on the track through all those tight turns. So going in this morning, my mindset was: we just need to survive this day.β

He did exactly thatβand then someβand he took real satisfaction in that. βThree years ago, my Dakar ended right here because we ran out of tires. Today we improved our position a bit. Weβre only three minutes back of Mitchel van den Brink now. So the battleβs not over.β
π #602 Instatrade Loprais Team de Rooy FPT π
βBrutal, absolutely brutalβ
Zalaβs teammate Loprais, the previous dayβs winner, had to settle for fifth on Monday. The Czech driver from Team De Rooy FPT was just grateful to reach the finish. βBecause it was brutal, absolutely brutal. Things started out great. The truck was flying like crazy. Everything was working. Then the hood came off twice. We had to stop to secure it.β
βThe engine wouldβve cooked if weβd left the hood off. Later we also had an electrical issue that kept us from shifting past third gear. So we had to restart the truck several times. That was a pain, but we made it through. Iβm surprised we only lost thirteen minutes to the leader. Iβm glad we can keep going.β

Stage 3 on Tuesday is a longer loop around Al Ula covering 736 kilometers, with 422 kilometers of special stage. Zala: βI donβt have a good read on tomorrowβs stage yet. This region might be a bit sandier, but I still expect rocky canyons and tricky navigation. Weβll see. Iβm trying not to get ahead of myself. Right now things are going a little better, but tomorrow we could run into problems all over again.β
Results
| Stage Rank | Number | Driver | Time | Gap to first |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 609 | Gert Huzink | 4h42m45s | – |
| 2 | 604 | Vaidotas Zala | 4h43m17s | +32s |
| 5 | 602 | Ales Loprais | 4h55m35s | +12m50s |
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