DAKAR 2026

Brock Heger and Max Eddy (RZR/Polaris) consolidate their lead

Consistent performance throughout the race allowed the American driver to consolidate his position...American driver Brock Heger (Polaris), current leader of the sector. Heger maintains a comfortable advantage of 47 minutes and 9 seconds over the Portuguese driver, a difference that could be decisive in the final stretch of the competition.

With today's victory, Brock Heger/Max Eddy (Polaris RZR Pro R) reinforced their lead in the SSV class once again. The title holder now has an advantage of almost 47 minutes over his pursuers. Behind him, there was a change on the podium: João Monteiro/Nuno Morais (Can-Am Maverick R) moved up to 2nd place, pushing their teammates Kyle Chaney/Jacob Argubright (Can-Am Maverick R) to third place, 51m27s behind the leader. Xavier de Soultrait/Martin Bonnet (Polaris RZR Pro R), due to difficulties yesterday and today, dropped out of the top 3.

The day in the SSV category began with Jeremias Gonzalez Ferioli fresh from his previous victory, but Brock Heger held firmly onto the overall lead with a 40m43s advantage over Kyle Chaney, a gap that would only grow. Xavier de Soultrait, even with limited traction on two wheels after a gloomy day, clung to 3rd place overall with all his might, refusing to give up in the face of the merciless desert. At 45 km, Heger was already dictating the pace, nine seconds ahead of Gonçalo Guerreiro, with De Soultrait still trailing at 86 km — 31 seconds behind João Monteiro, the Frenchman lost somewhere in the dust.

Mid-morning, Heger confirmed his dominance at 136 km with a 49-second lead over Monteiro, Ferioli climbing to third place. But De Soultrait was sinking: more than ten minutes lost at kilometer 86 after stopping in a treacherous section, the dream of a podium finish crumbling, kilometer by kilometer. Drama for the Portuguese, at kilometer 50: Gonçalo Guerreiro collapsed with an arm injury, was evacuated by helicopter to the bivouac, with the Polaris falling behind in an instant that saddened the Portuguese paddock.

At kilometer 180, Ferioli devoured the lead with a 13-second advantage over Heger, Monteiro close behind at 26 seconds, while Kristoffersson, rallycross champion, 'celebrated' his first top 5 finish at kilometer 180, the Swede finally taming the dunes.

Heger didn't falter: at kilometer 223 he regained the lead by seven seconds over Ferioli, De Soultrait more than 11 minutes behind at kilometer 136, each second a sentence. At kilometer 310, technical problems obscured the control – Ferioli was leading visibly, Heger “invisibly” in the electronic chaos.

The American reappeared at kilometer 341 in the lead, Ferioli 19 seconds behind, Monteiro solidly in third. At kilometer 414, the Argentinian counter-attacked by a mere seven seconds, but Heger accelerated in his final breath at kilometer 448, opening a 41-second gap over Ferioli. In the final kilometers, the title holder showed why: he withstood the pressure, crossed the finish line 46 seconds ahead of Gonzalez Ferioli and 1 minute and 33 seconds ahead of João Monteiro, his fourth victory in the race.

The journey ended less happily for Gonçalo Guerreiro (Polaris). The rider, who was in fifth place in the same category, was forced to abandon after suffering an accident. The fall raised suspicions of a possible arm fracture, forcing the immediate interruption of his participation and evaluation of the athlete's physical condition.

With these results, the prominence of the Portuguese representation in the SSV class is reinforced, in a race marked both by competitiveness on the track and by setbacks that recall the extreme demands of the discipline. Monteiro remains Portugal's main hope in the fight for the top spots.

Mitchel van den Brink (Iveco Powerstar) takes another win

Mitchel van den Brink (Iveco Powerstar) reinforced his lead in the trucks category with a 38m33s finish over Vaidotas Zala and Paulo Fiúza, who moved up to second place; Martin Macík dropped to third with 50m29s, while Aleš Loprais remains in fourth with about an hour's difference.

Dutchman Mitchel van den Brink started the day under maximum pressure: Vaidotas Zala, fresh from his previous historic victory, started in the lead for the trucks, determined to close the 33-minute gap that separated him from the overall lead.

At the 45km mark, the duel was fierce — only five seconds separated the two 14-ton giants, dust engulfing the rearview mirrors in a spectacle of titans.

Zala counter-attacked at kilometer 136, 47 seconds ahead of Van Den Brink, the Lithuanian setting a predatory pace with Paulo Fiúza alongside, eyes and attention fixed on the roadbook.

The familiar response came at kilometer 180: Van Den Brink was regaining the top spot, while his father Martin occupied a distant third place, nine minutes behind, a dynastic saga unfolding in the desert.

At kilometer 223, Mitchel consolidated a 1m40s lead over Zala, the absolute control of someone who knows that every kilometer is a fortress. In the middle of the race, the battle for the podium raged behind: Macík more than 22 minutes behind the leader, Gert Huzink close behind at less than a minute, a silent war for the bronze.

At kilometer 414, Zala reappeared on the screens but had already surrendered (he hadn't given up any position for some time) — Van Den Brink dominated with a 4m51s margin, the Dutchman on his way to his third victory in the race, a monster that left no room for anyone else's dreams. At the finish line, the verdict was clear: Mitchel crossed the line 5m31s ahead of Zala, his third stage win without a hitch. In the general classification, he extended his lead to 38m33s over the Lithuanian, now second; Macík sank 50m19s behind in third, Loprais fourth at 1h00m58s — Van Den Brink, for now the untouchable king of the giants.

by Autonews