Dakar 2017 pushes on! Racers travel from San Salvador De Jujuy, Argentina and make their way a total of 521 kilometers (nearly 324 miles) to Tupiza, Bolivia. The harsh South American desert demanded a lot from the teams on Stage 4. Rocky river beds, winding courses and incredibly soft sand took a serious toll.

Yesterday’s leader, Sébastien Loeb lost time and was not able to make it up by the end. At one point through the race, he was more than 25 minutes behind Cyril Despres, the course leader. Despres took an early lead and held it the majority of the race and also ended up taking the top slot in the general standings. Loeb stepped back to fifth in the general standings, behind his teammate and French countryman Stéphane Peterhansel. Reportedly, both team members had navigation issues and were seen sitting idle multiple times during the race.

Number 358 Zhitao He (China) and Zhao Kai (China) with the Toyota Boundless Young Team, action during the Dakar 2017. – Photo DPPI

Nasser Al-Attiyah officially backed out of the 2017 Dakar race after yesterday’s devastating breakage. Carlos Sainz suffered a similar issue and became stuck in a ravine for a lengthy amount of time. Sainz ultimately exited the rally entirely.

Despres is happy with his results today.  “It’s pretty amazing to win a stage after only three Dakars.” Says Despres “It was not expected some years ago.” Though it is entirely likely his teammates, Loeb and Peterhansel, will be fighting hard to regain their previous top three rankings in the coming stages. The Dakar race is comprised of twelve stages this year, the next two-thirds of the race can change the general standings landscape significantly. Stay tuned!