In the Dakar Rally, there's no stage that's unimportant. However, Stage Five was of particular significance to riders running the 2024 edition. Why? Because the results would determine the running order of the GP class riders in the monster 48-hour marathon known as Stage Six. Rules for Stage Six had GP-class riders running in reverse order of how they finished in Stage Five.
While Duust Rally Team rider Konrad Dabrowski had mechanical issues, it was yet another instance where you could clearly see the Dakar Spirit on display as he had help getting his bike back up and running.
Adrien Van Beveren thought he had the top time and would therefore be sitting pretty for the start of Stage Six, but Pablo Quintanilla swept in to beat Van Beveren's time by a mere 37 seconds. In all, here were the top 10 results for Stage Five of the 2024 Dakar Rally.
| Racer | Team | Time |
| Pablo Quintanilla (Chile) | Monster Energy Honda Team | 1 hour, 32 minutes, 53 seconds |
| Adrien Van Beveren (France) | Monster Energy Honda Team | 1 hour, 33 minutes, 30 seconds |
| Toby Price (Australia) | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1 hour, 34 minutes, 32 seconds |
| Daniel Sanders (Australia) | Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing | 1 hour, 35 minutes, 51 seconds |
| Mason Klein (USA) | Korr Offroad Racing | 1 hour, 35 minutes, 54 seconds |
| Ross Branch (Botswana) | Hero Motosports Team Rally | 1 hour, 36 minutes, 35 seconds |
| Ricky Brabec (USA) | Monster Energy Honda Team | 1 hour, 36 minutes, 41 seconds |
| Stefan Svitko (Slovakia) | Slonaft Rally Team | 1 hour, 37 minutes, 03 seconds |
| Tobias Ebster (Austria) | Kini Rally Racing Team | 1 hour, 37 minutes, 26 seconds |
| Skyler Howes (USA) | Monster Energy Honda Team | 1 hour, 37 minutes, 48 seconds |
Incidentally, these results put Hero Motosport rider Ross Branch back on top of the overall standings after Stage Five.
The 48-Hour Marathon Loop Of Stage Six: Shubaytah to Shubaytah
The first day of Stage Six has wrapped, but because the stage lasts for 48 hours, no official times are available yet. The riders still have another day to ride to complete the stage.
Unfortunately for Skyler Howes, a mechanical failure ended his 2024 Dakar Rally effort just 39 kilometers into the start of Stage Six.
2024 Dakar Rally Overall Rider Standings After Stage Five
The overall leaderboard changed again after Stage Five, so here's where we're at as Stage Six continues.
| Racer | Team | Time |
| Ross Branch (Botswana) | Hero Motosports Team Rally | 19 hours, 5 minutes, 03 seconds |
| José Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Chile) | Monster Energy Honda Team | 19 hours, 6 minutes, 17 seconds |
| Ricky Brabec (USA) | Monster Energy Honda Team | 19 hours, 8 minutes, 50 seconds |
| Adrien Van Beveren (France) | Monster Energy Honda Team | 19 hours, 23 minutes, 13 seconds |
| Kevin Benavides (Argentina) | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 19 hours, 26 minutes, 20 seconds |
| Pablo Quintanilla (Chile) | Monster Energy Honda Team | 19 hours, 31 minutes, 50 seconds |
| Toby Price (Australia) | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 19 hours, 36 minutes, 39 seconds |
| Daniel Sanders (Australia) | Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing | 19 hours, 42 minutes, 47 seconds |
| Romain Dumontier (France) | Team Dumontier Racing | 19 hours, 43 minutes, 55 seconds |
| Martin Michek (Czech Republic) | Orion Moto Racing Group | 19 hours, 44 minutes, 55 seconds |
It's definitely not the ending that Skyler Howes was hoping for at the 2024 Dakar Rally, but the one consistent thing about Dakar is that anything can (and does) happen.
We look forward to seeing what the second day of Stage Six brings, along with the rest of the 2024 Dakar Rally.
