After Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Audi) experienced a series of mechanical problems, Qatari Toyota driver Nasser Al-Attiyah, the defending champion, took the lead in the overall standings of the Dakar Rally 2023, while Saudi Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Toyota) won the third stage, which ended prematurely due to heavy rain.

Science entered the special stage between Alula and hail leading the overall standings by a narrow margin of two minutes and 12 seconds from Al Attiyah, as both drivers scored a stage win each during the opening two days of the event held in Saudi Arabia for the fourth consecutive year.

However, the Spanish driver suffered a major blow to his hopes of scoring his fifth victory in Dakar when his car broke down after about 213 kilometers of the stage due to problems with the left rear tire, which cost him about half an hour ahead of his Qatari opponent.

Science was able to return again after a painstaking repair, but there was more drama for the two-time Rally Champion later, when navigational problems kept him another 20 minutes away from his rival.

The problems were not far from Al-Attiyah himself, as he finished the stage outside the top ten, but science's dramatic decline was enough to snatch the top of the overall standings after the third stage.

Al-Attiyah is 13 minutes and 20 seconds ahead of Al-Rajhi, while veteran Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel is in third place with a difference of 20 minutes from the lead. Science dropped to eighth place.

Another Frenchman, Sebastien Loeb, had a bad second day in a row, as the runner-up of the last edition lost 35 extra minutes.

In the motorcycle category, French cyclist Guerlain chichery made up for his suffering in the previous stage to win the third stage, which was shortened from 447 kilometers to 378 kilometers due to heavy rain.

The 44-year-old finished the stage with ten hours and 56 minutes, while South African Henk latigan finished in second place, 3 minutes and 26 seconds behind the lead. Argentinean Orlando Terranova took third place with a difference of 5 minutes and 4 seconds.

"It's great, of course we are disappointed with what happened yesterday but we proved what we can achieve if we stay focused,"said chichery.

Australian cyclist Daniel Sanders (Gus Gus) advanced to the top of the overall standings, also benefiting from the exit of one of his most prominent rivals, American Ricky Brabeck (Honda), the champion of the 2020 edition, who was hospitalized by helicopter after suffering an accident during the stage.