Carlos Sainz strengthened his lead in the 2024 Dakar Rally after Sébastien Loeb encountered significant mechanical issues during Thursday's 11th stage. Loeb lost over an hour due to a broken suspension A-arm on his Prodrive Hunter during the 420km stage from Al-Alula to Yanbu.

Audi Sport's Sainz finished third behind Toyota Overdrive drivers Guerlain Chicherit and Guillaume de Mevius. With just one stage remaining, Sainz now holds a commanding 1h27m lead over de Mevius, with Loeb falling to third place, 1h35s behind.

"After catching Seb, we drove cautiously through the rocky terrain," Sainz explained. "With 170km remaining, our focus is simply on reaching the finish line."

In the motorcycle category, Ricky Brabec maintains his overall lead but saw his advantage shrink after Ross Branch won the day's stage. Brabec now leads Branch by 10m22s, with Honda teammate Adrien Van Beveren 14m31s behind.

Van Beveren's dramatic day included an encounter with dromedaries that sent him over his handlebars at high speed. Despite the crash and resulting bike damage, he managed to finish third, just 3m17s behind.

The rally concludes tomorrow with a final sprint stage that will determine the 2024 Dakar champions in both car and motorcycle categories.

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