RALLY DAKAR 2026

SSV: Brock Heger / Max Eddy (Polaris RZR) achieves their sixth victory and gets closer once again to becoming champion

The hegemony of Brock Heger / Max Eddy (Polaris Rzr Pro R) in the SSV category has been evident and today he achieved his sixth victory in the 2026 Dakar Rally — half of the 12 special stages contested so far — after an intense battle with Jeremias Gonzalez Ferioli / Gonzalo Rinaldi (Brp Can-Am Maverick R) that was only resolved in the final kilometers. However, the journey between Bisha and Al Henakiyah was equally marked by the continued brilliance of Johan Kristoffersson / Ola Floene (Polaris Rzr Pro R), the eight-time World Rallycross Champion who continues to adapt with remarkable speed to the reality of SSVs and the Dakar Rally.

At just 43 km, Kristoffersson set the best provisional time, putting Kyle Chaney / Jacob Argubright (Brp Can-Am Maverick R) 22 seconds behind, with Joao Monteiro / Nuno Morais (Brp Can-Am Maverick R) in third 34 seconds behind and Heger 1 minute and 30 seconds behind, a start that confirmed the impressive growth of the Swede. Heger, however, would take the lead in the intermediate kilometers. At 190 km, the American dethroned Jeremias Ferioli and took the lead, but the Argentinian in the Can-Am didn't stay behind: at 241 km, Ferioli regained the lead by just ten seconds, in a turn that suggested a fierce battle until the finish line. The duel between Can-Am and Polaris was at its peak intensity, with neither conceding a significant margin.

The decisive turning point came at kilometer 283, when Heger finally managed to unequivocally take the lead, opening up a gap that led to his overall victory. The American's sixth stage win, achieved after a close battle with Ferioli, reinforces his status as a virtually untouchable figure in the category, especially when the goal is to win every special stage he can compete in. With such a lead overall, Heger is no longer just competing for the title—he's competing for history, aiming to mark this 2026 Dakar as a practically perfect edition. Monteiro finished sixth in the stage, with Helder Rodrigues / Gonçalo Reis (Polaris Rzr Pro R Sport) in 13th.

In the overall SSV classification, Heger's dominance remains virtually unshaken. With his sixth stage win, the American reaffirms his position as a strong contender for a second consecutive title, while Chaney, despite his solid performance, remains isolated in second place, without any close enough teammate to pose a credible threat in the three remaining stages, ahead of Xavier De Soultrait / Martin Bonnet (Polaris Rzr Pro R) and Monteiro, in fifth.

The Iveco trucks of Team de Rooy dominated the stage, with Ales Loprais winning by beating Vaidotas Zala, navigated by Paulo Fiúza, by 2m31 seconds. The Portuguese-Lithuanian duo, who have mechanic Max van Grol on board, are at the top of the category standings with a 16m24 second advantage over Ales Loprais' crew - this with two days to go until the end of the 2026 Dakar Rally.

TRUCKS: Loprais (Iveco Powerstar) wins for the second time in a row

In the trucks, the 11th stage was dominated by Ales Loprais / David Kripal / Jiri Stross (Iveco Powerstar), who achieved their fifth victory of the edition by winning for the second consecutive time. Vaidotas Zala / Paulo Fiuza / Max Van Grol (Iveco Powerstar) maintained the lead, but with a reduced advantage of less than 16 minutes.

The first kilometers suggested that Mitchel Van Den Brink / Bart Van Heun / Jarno Van De Pol (Iveco Powerstar) could react to losing the lead yesterday. At 43 and 84 km, the Dutchman led the special stage, fueling hopes of recovery. But at 120 km, the drama began: van den Brink lost almost 4 minutes and dropped to seventh place provisionally, while Aleš Loprais took the lead with 1:04 over Žala.

Loprais, on the other hand, grew in confidence as the stage progressed. The Czech rider, who had won this same route the previous year, began to build a surgical recovery. At 207 km, his pace was strong. With less than 140 km to the finish line, Loprais had opened up a lead of almost three minutes over Žala and, more importantly, had reduced his deficit in the virtual general classification to just under 16 minutes.

At 241 km, Loprais recovered another minute, continuing to apply constant and methodically calculated pressure. The virtual general classification now showed only about 15 minutes between the Czech and the Lithuanian. Žala, aware of the threat, was trying to defend, but the reality was that Loprais had found his ideal pace.

Interestingly, at 283 km, the dynamics stabilized. Loprais remained in the lead, almost four minutes ahead of Žala, but had stopped gaining time as he had done until then. In the end, Loprais crossed the finish line with his fifth victory of the edition, winning by 2 minutes and 31 seconds over Žala, who managed to recover some time at the end of the stage. Van den Brink managed to recover and moved up to third place, making up some of the lost time.

In the overall truck classification, the impact was significant. Vaidotas Žala maintains the lead, but the safety margin he enjoyed just one stage ago has turned into a close race. He is now 16 minutes and 24 seconds behind Loprais and only 37 minutes and 18 seconds behind van den Brink.

by Autonews