Lategan put seven minutes on his nearest rival, Nasser Al-Attiyah, to surge from 11th in the overall ranking to the lead.

Former rally leader Mitch Gutherie was nearly 44 minutes slower than Lategan with the 27th fastest time in the 417-kilometre stage, and duly dropped to 13th in the standings – 29 minutes off the pace.

Lategan bore the brunt of notoriously tough Dakar stages a day earlier, losing time in spades to punctures during Stage 3.

To win Stage 4, he ditched his cautious approach.

“Yesterday, we had a total of nine punctures. It’s unbelievable. I think that’s a record in three days,” said Lategan.

“I was lost. I didn’t know what to do on the rocks, whether to slow down or not, attack or not.

“Today I decided to forget all that and just go for it. It’s a lottery anyway.

“We got through the rocks today, we could attack, and we made two small navigation errors, but everyone must have had some.”

It was a bittersweet Stage 4 win for Lategan, who missed his son’s birthday.

“[January 7] is always a slightly sad day for me because it’s my son’s birthday,” Lategan lamented.

“He’s turning six. I think there’s no excuse for not being with him on this day over the past few years, so I wish him a happy birthday.

“We’re going to go and check the car. Every time we get a puncture at the rear, so I think it happens when the front wheels lift the rocks.

“It’s unpredictable. We played Russian roulette today.”

Lategan’s Toyota teammate Toby Price was seventh fastest through Stage 4 and 20 minutes off the leading time. Price ended the day where he started in 16th, losing five minutes.

Nasser Al-Attiyah also enjoyed an uptick in the standings, climbing from 10th to second overall.

“It wasn’t easy for us,” said the Dacia driver.

“We had a puncture and then we saw Henk Lategan pass us, but he was attacking.

“We did a good job, we’re here, and I think we didn’t lose too much time. It might even be good for our start position tomorrow.

“We didn’t need to push any harder; we’re still some way back. The car is in good condition and we’re happy.”

Drivers ended Stage 4 on their own – without outside assistance – setting up tents to sleep in overnight before resuming on Thursday morning for Stage 5.

2026 Dakar Rally Cars Top 10 after Stage 4