The stage followed an arduous route. Crossing the towering sand dunes of Liwa, the surviving competitors had to drive over huge 150m high sand ridges to get from one sabkha to the next. The competitive section finished at Hameem, from where there was a 105km-liaison section back to the Arjan Bivouac.

In addition to driving skills while traversing the high dunes, navigation was the key to success on the third leg and Schlesser decided to follow Shinozuka in order not to get lost. Shinozuka, on the other hand, decided to drive carefully in order not lose time as a result of punctures or mistakes, and both drivers' strategies allowed Kleinschmidt to streak into the lead for much of the stage until six kilometres from the finish. It was here that her Mitsubishi toppled from a sand dune six metres high and damaged the front of her car, dropping her to third on the leg.

Commented Shinozuka after a long and arduous day: "This leg really lived up to the name 'Desert Challenge'. I could see nothing but sand dunes for the entire route. I was tired and it was very nerve-wracking. Schlesser was always right behind me - I just couldn't get away from him!"

In the T1 category for standard vehicles, local driver Yahya Bilhilli still leads in his Nissan, but Frenchman Jean-Francois Guinot, currently second, is closing fast after taking second place in his Mitsubishi on the third leg. .