Defending champion Carlos Sainz was nearly an hour off the pace in the Dakar Rally after his car flipped in the Saudi Arabia dunes on Monday morning (AEDT).
Local driver Yazeed Al Rajhi led the race at the mandatory evening rest stop north of Bisha on the gruelling near-1000km second stage, which started late Sunday night (AEDT) and finishes early Tuesday.
But his lead was only 79 seconds over five-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah.
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Sainz, the father of the Ferrari turned Williams F1 Driver of the same name, was within five minutes of the leaders after more than 200km, but his Ford Raptor turned upside down after the 62-year-old lost control in soft dunes at 327km-mark.
The car of Carlos Sainz after a rollover in the Dakar Rally. Twitter
The car landed on its roof, and teammate Mitch Guthrie was forced to stop and help Sainz right the car after 20 minutes. After a brief inspection, Sainz and his co-driver Lucas Cruz removed much of the rear bodywork on the car before continuing on.
He then limped to the rest area at 620km, more than 59 minutes behind. Cruz was forced to hold the passenger door shut for the rest of the stage.
His Ford team later confirmed the car had luckily avoided any structural damage, and would be repaired overnight.
Although Junior is now arguably the better-known Carlos Sainz, Senior is himself a two-time World Rally Champion.
The car of Carlos Sainz after a rollover in the Dakar Rally. Twitter
Another title contender who suffered was Sebastien Loeb, who won this stage last year. The Frenchman broke down with fan issues at 409km and arrived more than 32 minutes back.
Al-Attiyah led Al Rajhi by four minutes in the early going but Al Rajhi turned the tables about 350km in and held on.
Sweden's Mattias Ekstrom was running third, nine minutes back. He was the only driver within 10 minutes of Al Rajhi.
First stage winner Seth Quintero was 48 minutes back.
Australian rider Daniel Sanders continued to set the pace in the motorbike class, even after starting at the back from winning the first stage.
Australian Daniel Sanders leads the bikes division of the Dakar Rally. AP
Racing a different course to the cars, Sanders was only 40 seconds ahead of American titleholder Ricky Brabec.
Ross Branch, second last year, lost some time but was still third.
The 48-hour chrono stage was introduced last year, sending racers into the desert overnight with minimal team help. What organisers call “the quintessential rally-raid experience” was the stage in which Al Rajhi's car somersaulted and he was forced to abandon the 2024 race.
