Sébastien Loeb experienced a nightmarish start to the third stage of the Dakar 2025 on Tuesday between Bisha and Al-Henakiyah. The Alsatian made a mistake from the 12th kilometer with his Dacia Sandrider quite damaged after rolling over. The nine-time world champion and his co-driver, Fabian Lurquin, unhurt after this accident, managed to repair and leave. They had reached the first score, after 36 km, “only” 8 minutes late.
But the two men were forced to stop again at the 63rd kilometer for a longer time, falling almost 50 minutes late before passing PK 118. After an initial scare on Sunday due to a fan problem, Loeb restarted his race on Monday to stay in the overall match. This time, his chances of final victory in this edition seem compromised.