ℹ️ Stage info ℹ️

Al Ula → Al Ula

Nature’s creativity and the march of centuries have worked wonders, sculpting improbable rock formations, which also make navigation tricky.

In the second part of the special stage, the increasing number of tracks will make interpreting the roadbook difficult, especially since landmarks are scarce. We will proceed cautiously on the return journey.

📝 Loprais Delivers Strong P2 Finish in Dakar Rally Stage 3 📝

ALULA – Ales Loprais reaffirmed his title contender status Tuesday with an impressive second-place finish at the 48th Dakar Rally. The Czech driver for Team De Rooy FPT held the lead for much of the stage, but late problems forced him to settle for second among the trucks. Teammate Vaidotas Zala encountered more serious issues and finished eighth.

A 666-kilometer stage featuring a punishing 421-kilometer special made for a demanding day early in this year’s Dakar Rally. Loprais appeared headed for a dominant stage win during the loop around start/finish location AlUla—until he and his cab crew were hit with two flat tires and a loose hood on the Iveco in the final stretch.

📝 #602 Instatrade Loprais Team de Rooy FPT 📝

Beautiful but challenging day

“It was a beautiful but challenging day”, Loprais reflected. “I think we were the fifth truck off the line. Today we literally flew across the course. The Red Dragon [the truck] was loving it just as much as we were, and we were loving it right back. It was icy almost the whole way to the finish.”

Those conditions suited Loprais perfectly. “We had a huge lead for a long time, but lost it because of those two flats and a loose hood. Still, we’re grateful to come away with such a great result. We lost one minute and two seconds to the leader. But all things considered, and given that we finished without any spare tires, this is an outstanding performance and a fantastic result.”

📝 #604 Nørdis Team de Rooy FPT 📝

Crash

Zala, who posted the second-fastest time in Monday’s stage 2, picked up some damage along the way, preventing him from building on his excellent pace from the day before. “We had a crash where we ended up in a pile of sand. After that we had to repair the truck. Tomorrow’s the marathon stage. We’ll attack it with confidence.”

Vaidotas Žala

Paulo Fiuza

Max van Grol

Results

📷 Photos of the day 📷

🎥 Videos of the day 🎥

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