Most visitors come to Al-ʿUla to marvel at the prehistoric sites in the area and the jaw-dropping Nabataean temples on which it stakes its claim to fame, testament to a civilisation thriving for several millennia in a region spanning Jordan.

Local driver Yazeed Al Rajhi has taken advantage of a miserable stage by Henk Lategan to grab the Dakar Rally lead in the Saudi Arabia desert.

Tuesday's high-speed Stage 9 dash from Riyadh to Haradh served as a link between Saudi Arabia's capital city and the barren wilderness of the Empty Quarter Desert with five-time Dakar champion Nasser Al-Attiyah scoring his first 2025 Ultimate class stage win in his Dacia Sandrider.

Saudi Arabia's local hero Yazeed Al-Rajhi is in the overall lead for the first time at this year's Dakar Rally after finishing third in stage nine on Tuesday, taking over from Henk Lategan who suffered two punctures.

Henk Lategan’s lead of the Dakar Rally has melted to 21 seconds after a chaotic seventh stage for timings in the Saudi desert.

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.

South African Henk Lategan (Toyota) consolidated his lead atop the driver standings of the Dakar Rally by winning the eighth stage on Monday.

A brilliant five-hour drive to the Saudi Arabia capital earned Dakar Rally leader Henk Lategan the stage win and breathing room on Monday. While every other driver grizzled about how tough navigating the 488-kilometer eighth stage from Al Duwadimi to Riyadh was,