Al Rajhi and Gottschalk took advantage of a favourable road position, recording the third-fastest time of the day.

Local driver Yazeed Al Rajhi has taken advantage of a miserable stage by Henk Lategan to grab the Dakar Rally lead in the Saudi Arabia desert.

Toyota's Henk Lategan dominated stage eight of the Dakar Rally on Monday, and despite a speed violation, the win extended his overall lead after the previous day's chaotic race had virtually wiped out his advantage over closest rival Yazeed Al-Rajhi.

South African Henk Lategan (Toyota) consolidated his lead atop the driver standings of the Dakar Rally by winning the eighth stage on Monday. Despite a two-minute penalty for speeding on the stage, Lategan finished the day's driving 1min 47sec ahead of compatriot Guy Botterill,

Henk Lategan’s lead of the Dakar Rally melted to 21 seconds after a chaotic seventh stage for timings in the Saudi desert on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia's local hero Yazeed Al-Rajhi is in the overall lead for the first time at this year's Dakar Rally after finishing third in stage nine on Tuesday, taking over from Henk Lategan who suffered two punctures.

Stage 8 of the 47th edition of the Dakar rally saw competitors travel from Al Duwadimi to the Saudi Arabian capital city of Riyadh. KTMs Luciano Benavides and Toyotas Henk Lategan claimed victory today.

After the only rest day, the caution of car front-runner Lategan and motorbike pace-setter Sanders allowed their closest pursuers to catch up by up to four minutes on the sixth stage from Ha’il south to Al Duwadimi. South African driver Lategan was seventh on the stage, 6 1/2 minutes behind Belgian winner Guillaume de Mévius.

South Africa's Saood Variawa became the youngest-ever stage winner at the Dakar Rally when he triumphed in stage 3 on Tuesday.