In the early hours of January 9, 2015, Beijing time, the fifth stage of the 37th Dakar Rally concluded. The stage ran from Copiapó to Antofagasta, covering a special stage distance of 458 kilometers and a liaison section of 239 kilometers. This was a high-speed stage, and although it lacked desert sections, the fesh-fesh dusty roads posed high demands on the drivers' handling skills, making overtaking very difficult in this stage. In the car category, the Russian driver from the MINI team emerged as the dark horse of the day, finishing first in the car category with a time of 4 hours, 19 minutes, and 18 seconds. Thanks to steady performances in two stages, Zhou Yong, representing Perfect China "Meinian Onehealth" Yongzhi Team, moved up from 21st in the overall standings after Stage 4 to 17th. Dongfang Racing Team’s Liu Kun finished the stage in 37th place, with an overall ranking of 59th; Zhong Lei finished 53rd in the stage and is ranked 53rd overall.
Tomorrow, drivers will face the sixth stage of the rally, which will take them along the Pacific coast from Antofagasta all the way to the coastal city of Iquique. The motorcycle category will cover a special stage of 319 kilometers and a liaison section of 369 kilometers, while the car category will have a special stage of 255 kilometers and a liaison section of 392 kilometers. This stage will once again test the drivers with desert sections. Due to the earthquake that struck Iquique earlier this year, a celebration ceremony for the halfway point of the rally will be held in the city after the stage concludes.