Andorran Riders Falter in Dakar Rally Stage 5

Andorran resident Tosha Schareina slipped to fourth overall in the Dakar Rally motorcycle category after receiving a 10-minute penalty during Friday's stage 5, the second half of the marathon leg near Al-Ula. The sanction, imposed for failing to pass through a control point between flags at the refugee camp exit, dropped him to 12th in the stage and left him nearly 12 minutes behind new leader Daniel Sanders.

Fellow resident Edgar Canet suffered a severe blow when he lost the mousse insert from his rear tire—a foam anti-puncture device—forcing multiple stops and eliminating his podium prospects. He had not crossed the finish line at the latest updates. Adrien Van Beveren, also based in Andorra, dropped over 30 minutes after a wire tangled in his wheel but recovered to finish 18th in the stage and seventh overall, 52 minutes 31 seconds off Sanders's pace. Stage 5 was won by Luciano Benavides.

Schareina had seized the lead earlier with consecutive victories in stages 3 and 4. In Tuesday's 421km stage 3 loop from Al-Ula, he overcame a heavy crash to take command from the 16km point, winning the stage and rising to third, 1 minute 13 seconds behind Sanders. Canet placed seventh, 11 minutes 44 seconds back, falling to fourth overall at 8 minutes 46 seconds off the lead. Van Beveren was eighth in both stage and general standings, 23 minutes 26 seconds down.

Schareina extended his dominance in Wednesday's 417km stage 4 marathon opener—listed in some reports at 452km—by opening the track for much of the distance to secure victory and share the lead on time with teammate Ricky Brabec, displacing Sanders. Canet finished eighth, conceding 3 minutes 49 seconds but holding fourth at 11 minutes 22 seconds behind. Van Beveren took ninth in the stage and overall, 27 minutes 24 seconds off the pace.

In the car category, residents Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel finally completed stage 5 despite ongoing mechanical woes, including a stage 3 tire puncture that cost more than two hours 20 minutes, plus further breakdowns in the marathon stages. They now sit five hours 42 minutes behind leader Henk Lategan, who had won stage 4. Cristina Gutiérrez placed 14th in stage 5 to remain 13th overall, 23 minutes 59 seconds back—earlier reports had placed her as high as 10th. The rally heads to Riyadh next with a 331km special in stage 6.