Overview
- Toyota locked out the Stage 2 top five with Seth Quintero victorious, and Nasser Al‑Attiyah now leads the overall by seven seconds.
- Ford’s Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma each suffered two punctures on the rocky route, costing minutes, as Stage 1 winner Guillaume de Mévius opened the road.
- Daniel Sanders claimed the Al Ula stage to take the motorcycle lead, with Edgar Canet second overall by roughly half a minute after a minor fall while avoiding a camel.
- Stewarding proved decisive earlier when Edgar Canet was awarded the Stage 1 bike win following a six‑minute speeding penalty for Ross Branch.
- Argentina celebrated early results with David Zille and Sebastián Cesana winning Challenger Stage 1 and Nicolás Cavigliasso/Valentina Pertegarini taking third, while Luciano Benavides ranked fifth in bikes after Stage 1.