While the American was pipped at the post, he is now 7:09s to the good in the general classification, having started the day just 42 seconds ahead of Hero Motosports’ Ross Branch.

Red Bull KTM’s Toby Price remains sixth overall after setting the fourth-fastest time on the 417km special between Ha’il to AlUla.

On a day comprised mainly of sand and dunes, it was Brabec and Van Beveren duelling for stage honours for much of the way, with fellow Monster Energy Honda rider Pablo Quintanilla also in the mix after the transfer section.

Brabec led by 2:58s with just 22km to go before he lost time late in the piece for the second day in a row, although that may well have been a ploy to enhance his road order for the following morning.

If so, then Van Beveren obliged with a 42-second win, thanks in part to a healthy serving of opener bonuses, while Quintanilla took third at 4:29s behind.

Price, who was second-fastest early on, finished fourth at another 2:15s back, with Branch fifth having given up 6:27s relative to Brabec.

In the general classification, it is Brabec from Branch, Van Beveren at 11:16s from top spot, Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Monster Energy Honda), Kevin Benavides (Red Bull KTM), and Price in sixth at 35:12s off the pace.

The other Australian in the field, Red Bull GasGas’s Daniel Sanders, has slipped to eighth at 59:47s in arrears.

He had been third-quickest to the Kilometre 110 waypoint before drifting as the stage wore on.

Just three stages remain in Dakar 2024, the next being a loop through the rocks of AlUla.

General classification: Bikes Top 10