Five-times winner Nasser Al-Attiyah hit trouble in the Dakar Rally on Wednesday, the latest frontrunner to struggle in the Saudi Arabian sands after the departures of Sebastien Loeb and defending champion Carlos Sainz.

Overdrive Toyota’s Yazeed Al Rajhi, who lost out big time on the 48-hour chrono stage in last year’s Dakar Rally, thought he had achieved the best accumulated time over the two days

Carlos Sainz's Dakar Rally ended on Monday after the defending champion's damaged Ford Raptor was ruled out after just two stages of the gruelling two-week race in the Saudi Arabian desert.

Local driver Yazeed Al Rajhi stormed back into the Dakar Rally's leading threesome when he dominated the fourth stage in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Al Rajhi started 18th in Al Henakiyah and was in front by the first time check in volcanic terrain and never headed on the 415-kilometer (258-mile) course north through canyons to AlUla.

Carlos Sainz wrote off his chances of defending the Dakar Rally title on Monday after ending the 48-hour second stage in Saudi Arabia more than an hour and half behind new leader Henk Lategan.The 62-y

Yazeed Al-Rajhi claimed an emphatic victory in Stage 4 of Dakar Rally to move to second in the overall standings behind Henk Lategan, as Nasser Al-Attiyah hit trouble. Having lost a heap of time in the third test of the rally on Tuesday,