Van Beveren 4th in Dakar Stage 12, Schareina Locks Podium Spot

Adrien Van Beveren finished fourth in stage 12 of the Dakar Rally on Friday, holding sixth overall as the event nears its conclusion with one stage remaining. The penultima day, marked by rocky terrain and fatigue, saw strong showings from several Andorran-resident competitors.

In the motorcycle category, Valencian rider Tosha Schareina effectively secured third in the general classification ahead of the final stage. He lost 12 minutes to the stage winner but preserved a safe gap over his closest rivals, positioning him for a second Dakar podium in five starts. Schareina had earlier claimed eighth in stage 10—the second day of a marathon phase from rest camp to Bisha—trailing leader Ricky Brabec by 15 minutes and 43 seconds.

Van Beveren clocked 3 hours, 32 minutes and 8 seconds in stage 12, 13 minutes and 7 seconds off the pace, to stay sixth overall, 1 hour, 6 minutes and 57 seconds behind Brabec. His stage 10 win had earlier boosted him to that position, one hour back, marking his seventh stage victory despite prior inconsistencies.

Catalan rider Edgar Canet navigated a challenging day after an early fall, finishing 24 minutes behind the leader to maintain 36th overall. He had taken 10th in stage 10, building on two stage wins and five top-three finishes in an edition of mixed fortunes.

In cars, Cristina Gutiérrez posted 12th in stage 12 with a time of 3 hours, 31 minutes and 25 seconds—9 minutes and 33 seconds off the best—holding 12th overall, 1 hour, 36 minutes and 24 seconds from leader Nasser Al-Attiyah. She remains within mathematical reach of the top 10, having ended stage 10 in 35th but 14th overall, 1 hour and 24 minutes back.

Mathieu Baumel and Guillaume de Mévius took 42nd in stage 12, over 46 minutes down, to sit 34th in the standings after a 25th-place stage 10 finish from 32nd. With just 105 timed kilometres left, the residents aim to defend positions in one of the rally's toughest recent editions.