Overview
- Nani Roma moved into the overall cars lead by 57 seconds over Ford teammate Carlos Sainz after time penalties were applied at the finish.
- FIA speeding sanctions hit both frontrunners—1:00 for Roma and 1:10 for Sainz—while navigation mistakes cost Nasser Al‑Attiyah about 26 minutes and Mattias Ekström more than 30 minutes.
- Poland’s Eryk Goczal won the car special as several contenders stopped for repairs or lost time searching for waypoints.
- In motorcycles, Tosha Schareina took the stage win; Daniel Sanders reclaimed the overall lead with Ricky Brabec second and Luciano Benavides third after a navigation error.
- Stage 9 was the first half of a marathon with no external assistance and an overnight desert camp, elevating mechanical risk with four stages remaining.