DAKAR 2026

Trucks: Gert Huzink (Kuipers Jongbloed Hybrid) wins second stage

The victory in the second stage went to Gert Huzink (Kuipers Jongbloed Hybrid), who, even with a ten-second penalty, managed to beat Vaidotas Zala (Team de Rooy) by 32 seconds. The Lithuanian is navigated by the Portuguese Paulo Fiúza and is second overall, 3 minutes and 6 seconds behind the leader Mitchel van den Brink.

As part of the broader car category of the Dakar Rally, the trucks were allowed to follow the exact same route on Monday. This meant completing a 400-kilometer stage, starting in Yanbu and ending in the Al-'Ula bivouac. Ales Loprais, winner of the opening stage, was the first to lead the trucks, aiming to maintain his lead in the overall standings.

Loprais started the stage well, setting the fastest time at the first checkpoint, although the gaps were small. Defending champion Martin Macik was only three seconds behind, and the top six were within 1 minute and 16 seconds of each other. However, at the second checkpoint, after 70 kilometers, Richard de Groot had already taken the lead, after which the fastest time was exchanged. It went from De Groot to Zala, and then to Macik, who was fastest halfway through the stage. Gert Huzink had already closed the gap to within four seconds, with Zala more than a minute behind in third place. Macik held the lead until the 360-kilometer checkpoint, when he suddenly dropped to third place. Huzink had set the fastest time at that point, followed by Zala, just under a minute behind. A 40-kilometer sprint to the finish ensued, with a veritable three-way battle for the stage victory, which Huzink ultimately secured. Even a ten-second time penalty for the Dutchman from Kuipers Jongbloed Hybrid, who shares his Renault truck with Hugo Kupper and Mario Kress, couldn't keep him from taking the stage win. His lead wasn't substantial, as Zala, Paulo Fiuza, and Max van Grol were only 32 seconds behind.

Macik was already over a minute back in his MM Technology Iveco, while Mitchel van den Brink, Bart van Heun, and Jarno van de Pol secured fourth place in the day's standings, three minutes behind. Loprais, along with his teammates David Kripal and Jiri Stross, had already lost more than 12 minutes and thus lost the lead in the general classification. The Czech rider from Team De Rooy actually only finished fifth, but a penalty for De Groot and Firemen Rally Team gave him a spot. De Groot, Martijn van Rooij, and Jan Hulsebosch thus finished fifth, ahead of Martin Soltys in the Buggyra ZM. Debutant Kay Huzink clocked the seventh fastest time, almost 23 minutes behind his uncle, while Michal Valtr and Teruhito Sugawara completed the top ten.

With his fourth-place finish, Van den Brink has taken over the lead in the general classification. Zala and Macik trail by more than three minutes, with Loprais almost eight minutes behind. With his stage win, Huzink moves up to seventh in the general classification, having already lost 40 minutes on the opening day. The Dakar continues on Tuesday with the third stage to and from Al-'Ula, which includes a 422-kilometer special.

Dakar 2026: Portuguese victory in SSV stage 2

First stage victory for Portugal in the Dakar 2026. This Monday, Gonçalo Guerreiro was the strongest in the SSV category, in the fight for the overall lead.

Gonçalo Guerreiro triumphed in the second stage of the Dakar 2026 in SSV, this Monday (January 5th). The driver is navigated by Brazilian Maykel Justo.

Aboard a Polaris from Loeb Fraymedia Motorsport RZR Factory Racing, the duo was always among the fastest throughout the 400 km timed stage - which they completed in 4h42m45 seconds.

The top three finishers were from the same team, followed by Florent Vayssade in second with 1:02 seconds and Xavier de Soultrait in third with 2:46 seconds (with a one-minute penalty).

The Frenchman leads the overall standings, with Gonçalo Guerreiro moving up to second place, 1 minute and 47 seconds behind the leader. Third place is held by another Loeb Fraymedia Motorsport RZR Factory Racing driver, Brock Heger – more than six minutes behind the leader.

Brazilian duo also in the top 10...Also in the SSV category, a Portuguese duo stands out. Driver Alexandre Pinto and navigator Bernardo Oliveira (Old Friends Rally Team/Polaris) recorded the seventh fastest time of the day, 14 minutes and 56 seconds behind Gonçalo Guerreiro. The duo occupies the same position in the overall class standings, 15 minutes and 44 seconds behind the leader.

It's worth remembering that, in the main car category, Monday's victory went to Seth Quintero (Toyota), with João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro (Toyota) in fifth. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) leads the standings, with the Portuguese duo Ferreira/Palmeiro in sixth place.

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