The Empty Quarter has to be earned. Dakar entrants had to wait until stage 10 to frolic on its dunes. The field rolled out of Haradh before the sun peeked over the horizon to tackle a road section of more than 500 kilometres en route to the shores of the Arabian Gulf. The time had come to surf a sea of dunes, where the Big Kahunas rule the waves, for 117 kilometres of sand, sand and more sand. Michael Docherty, free of strategic concerns, tapped his raw speed and intimate knowledge of the dunes —he lives next door— to open his account at the Dakar.

Accurately predicting that the main contenders would keep their powder dry, Docherty went for broke today. The South African Rally 2 biker danced gracefully over the dunes to take his very first Dakar stage win by 1′20″ over Rui Gonçalves and 2′21″ over Tobias Ebster.

As expected, the title contenders kept their cards close to their chests in anticipation of the second stage in the Empty Quarter, which will take place tomorrow. Daniel Sanders remains perched at the top of the ranking with 16′31″ in hand over Tosha Schareina and 22′24″ over Adrien Van Beveren. The starting order, which will keep fans and pundits busy, will encourage the rivals of the man from Oz to try and stage a sensational comeback.

(Editors Note: Americans Skyler Howes, Ricky Brabec and Jason Argubright finished the stage sixth, 13th and 22nd.)

Top 10 from Stage 10 of the Dakar: