The start from Moreeb had been scheduled for 7.30, but thick fog forced the organisers to delay the proceedings (as a safety precaution) for nearly two hours. Once more, the competitors had to drive during the hottest hours of the day. Today's special was far from easy, with plenty of dunes to cross, and a tricky section at the end.

Setting off from third place, at a good pace, Colin McRae was already ahead of his team-mate Grégoire de Mevius by the first checkpoint. At CP2, he took the lead, with over 30 seconds advantage over the second Pickup, and leaving the previous day's winner, Khalifa Al Mutaiwei, a few minutes behind.

However, at CP3, also the service area, Colin stopped to change all four tyres. Losing a few minutes, Grégoire de Mevius regained the advantage. But things went wrong after CP3. The engine started to overheat, and going through a section of dunes, Colin and Tina were caught in a dip. Stéphane Peterhansel went round the tricky area twice, looking to see how he could set up a rescue operation, but he was unable to help them.

Eventually, the nr 261 Kamaz truck managed to pull the Pickup out. Unfortunately, it was soon clear that the team would be forced to retire. A ventilator failure, most probably further to an electrical problem, caused the overheating and the subsequent engine failure.

Quite disappointed, Colin McRae had to resign himself to this retirement: " We made a good start to the stage, at a high pace. I am disappointed, as the car was going over the dunes incredibly well. We did not have any problems with the crossings, and we did not get stuck in the sand. This mechanical problem has forced us to retire, and it is a great shame, because I would really have liked to have got to the end…"

Gilles Martineau, the Nissan Rally Raid Team Manager was also disappointed: " I would have preferred to see Colin get to the end of the event to gain more practical experience in the dunes, but it was not to be. I hope that Grégoire (De Mevius), leading the race this evening, manages at least a podium finish, as he is putting in a fine performance. See you in around twelve days in Portugal with the Pickup 2005… "

Although the UAE Desert Challenge came to a premature end for Colin McRae, he will be driving the Nissan Pickup 2005 in race conditions for the first time, from October 21st to 24th. A race shakedown for the Nissan Rally Raid Team, two months before the Dakar.