A brilliant five-hour drive to the Saudi Arabia capital of Riyadh has earned Dakar Rally leader Henk Lategan the stage win and breathing room.

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.

Henk Lategan and co-driver Brett Cummings are one step closer to Dakar Rally glory by consolidating their lead with a commanding win on Stage 8 in Saudi Arabia on Monday. The Toyo

Henk Lategan's overall Dakar Rally lead was cut to seven minutes and 16 seconds as Yazeed Al-Rajhi closed the gap to the South African despite issues with his car, while Mini's Guillaume de Mevius and Joao Ferreira were the first two to finish stage six in Saudi Arabia.

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.

Lategan extends advantage over nearest challenger Yazeed Al-Rajhi