P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Stage 7: Riyadh – Wadi Ad Dawasir 459km, liaison 418km Mattias Ekstrom and Emil Bergkvist emerged as the surprise winners of stage seven, having ranked second on the timing screens to Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings as late as km 417. Across the opening 60km, the stage resembled a WRC sprint event rather than a […]
Mattias Ekstrom and Emil Bergkvist pulled off a surprising win in stage seven of the race from Riyadh to Wadi Ad Dawasir, overtaking the leaders Lategan and Cummings in the final kilometers.
The stage initially resembled a WRC sprint event, with the top ten racers separated by just 61 seconds over the opening 60km.
Lategan led for a significant portion of the race before Ekstrom made a comeback, with the lead changing hands multiple times throughout the stage.
Despite a strong effort by Lategan to re-take the lead towards the end, he ultimately slipped down to 13th place, giving Ekstrom a commanding victory.
Nasser Al-Attiyah maintained the overall lead, while Ekstrom moved up to second place and Lategan dropped to fourth due to issues in the latter part of the stage.
The final podium positions were fiercely contested, with Joao Ferreira ultimately securing second place, followed by Mitch Guthrie and Toby Price, showcasing the competitiveness of the field.
