Sebastien Loeb of Prodrive secured his fourth victory in this year's Dakar Rally on Tuesday, triumphing in stage nine in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Adrien Van Beveren on a Honda ensured a French double by clinching the win in the bike category.
Despite their individual stage victories, neither Loeb nor Van Beveren holds the overall lead. Carlos Sainz in an Audi maintains the top position in the car category, while Ricky Brabec in a Honda leads the bikes.
Stage nine covered a challenging 400km of special terrain, including dunes, intricate navigation, and rocky, sandy tracks as participants travelled from Hail to Al-Ula.
Loeb, a nine-time world rally champion, secured his 27th stage victory in the Dakar, recovering 4 minutes and 14 seconds from Sainz.
However, he remains provisionally 20 minutes and 33 seconds behind the 61-year-old Spaniard, with limited time before the final stage finish in Yanbu on Friday.
Loeb commented on the day, saying, "It was a good day for us, a long stage. We had two punctures in the middle of the stage, so at the end I had to be a bit careful and not have a third one. The gap is still big, but we still have three stages to go. So, we'll see, and we'll continue to push for the next three days."
Sainz faced challenges but received support from Audi teammates Mattias Ekstrom and Stephane Peterhansel. Peterhansel, a 14-time Dakar winner, noted, "Carlos is in a good position.
But Sebastien is capable of recovering 10 minutes a day, or even more if he goes to the limit. So I can understand why Carlos is stressed."
In the bike category, Van Beveren secured his second victory, finishing just 42 seconds ahead of his Honda teammate Ricky Brabec, who maintains the overall lead. Van Beveren's performance moved him up to third place overall, 11 minutes and 16 seconds behind Brabec.
Wednesday's 10th stage poses a significant challenge, requiring competitors to navigate through the stunning monumental rocks of the Al-Ula region over a 371-kilometre special.
Brabec expressed optimism about the upcoming stage, stating, "I think tomorrow we're probably going to have to open, but if I can clean up tomorrow..."
Overall, the race remains intense, with various contenders vying for the top positions in both the car and bike categories.
