Yazeed Al-Rajhi is set to win the Dakar Rally on home soil in the Saudi desert after retaking the lead from South Africa’s Henk Lategan.

Ford secured its second straight stage win at the Dakar Rally on Thursday, with Mattias Ekstrom following up Nani Roma's Stage 10 win by besting Nasser Al-Attiyah -- his rival for the final podium place -- by 41 seconds on the dunes of Saudi Arabia's Empty Quarter.

Yazeed al-Rajhi took the overall lead in the car standings at the Dakar Rally after finishing third in Thursday's decisive penultimate stage.

South Africa’s Henk Lategan leads Yazeed Al-Rajhi by 2 1/2 minutes going into the 11th and penultimate stage in the Empty Quarter dunes. The last stage is a ceremonial drive to the finish in Shubaytah.

Australian motorcyclist Daniel Sanders is set to win the Dakar Rally as long as he can avoid a final-day calamity in the Saudi Arabian desert.

Henk Lategan's overall Dakar Rally lead was cut to seven minutes and 16 seconds as Yazeed Al-Rajhi closed the gap to the South African despite issues with his car, while Mini's Guillaume de Mevius and Joao Ferreira were the first two to finish stage six in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi took the lead in the overall car standings at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia after finishing third in Thursday’s decisive penultimate stage. Swedish driver Mattias Ekstrom (Ford) won the 11th stage,

Yazeed Al-Rajhi opened up a commanding overall lead of six minutes and 11 seconds over second-placed Henk Lategan in the Dakar Rally, after the South African, who led by over two minutes before Thursday,

The famous rally raid event being held in Saudi Arabia, always stirring excitement among motorsport lovers, has seen some amazing displays by the participants and records being broken throughout its duration.