RALLY DAKAR 2026

Nasser Al-Attiyah and his sixth Dakar

He is determined to equal Peterhansel's eight Dakar victories in cars... and today Nasser Al-Attiyah is one step closer to achieving that goal. The Qatari driver gave Dacia its first Dakar victory, which is his sixth personal victory.

The Spanish entry is led by Nani Roma, who finished second in the overall standings, 9 minutes and 42 seconds behind the winner.

And this has special significance because the Qatari driver has already conquered the Touareg with four different brands: Volkswagen (2011), Toyota (2015, 2022 and 2023) and Mini (2015). Something that, until now, only Carlos Sainz and Stéphane Peterhansel had achieved.

The final stage, this time, was a formality, a triumphant ride for Al-Attiyah, who in 2026 raced (and behaved) differently than usual, with much more composure and coolness. In fact, despite having the opportunity to equal and surpass the historical record of stage wins, he only won two (stages 6 and 12). But they were enough to guarantee what was probably the most competitive Dakar Rally of all time.

In truth, the differences at the front were almost always less than 10 minutes... until the 10th stage, the return marathon, where the Qatari cyclist delivered the almost decisive blow in the race. From then on, with only a few days to recover, he managed to control the race until yesterday, when he sealed it with a devastating stage victory.

Fortunately, Nani Roma had a less eventful stage today, finishing a fantastic Dakar in second place. He narrowly missed out, but it's a well-deserved podium finish (his fifth in the car category, including his 2014 victory)... which was in danger until almost the last moment.

Whether this will be Carlos Sainz's last Dakar Rally, only he knows, but what is certain is that it's not the ending he wanted after two decades of fighting in the desert. The Madrid native was forced to abandon the race on the tenth stage due to a navigation error and has been stuck in fifth position ever since.

Luciano Benavides wins the Dakar Rally on motorcycles by two seconds

A final surprise in the Dakar Rally. In the motorcycle category, where everything seemed decided in favor of Ricky Brabec, who was heading for his third overall victory, a miracle happened. The Benavides miracle.

Victory seemed certain... until the final stretch of the stage. That's because Brabec, in addition to his 3-minute and 20-second advantage over the Argentinian, also benefited from time bonuses for leading the way. Then, seven kilometers from the finish, came the attack that changed everything.

Everything changed at kilometer 98, seven kilometers from the finish. That's where Ricky lost his way. At that moment, he had a lead of more than three and a half minutes in the virtual overall standings, but everything crumbled in an instant. He went in the wrong direction... until he realized it. When he tried to change course, it was too late, and he lost what would have been his third Dakar victory.

Luciano found him on the track... and at that moment he knew he could be champion. The Argentinian achieved the feat and won the 2026 Dakar Rally by just two seconds. Incredible. It's the smallest margin in the history of this rally, which began in 1979.

Luciano followed in the footsteps of his brother, Kevin, who also won the Dakar Rally on a motorcycle by a minimal margin. He won in 2023 by 43 seconds against Toby Price. But what he did now is impressive.

The victory in the final stage, however, went to Edgar Canet, the young Spanish talent. The rider from La Garriga spent the entire day cheering for Luciano before the special stage and was happier with his KTM teammate's victory than with his own. At the finish line, he beat the rider from Salta by six seconds.

This is the third stage victory for the rider from La Garriga, after winning the prologue and the first stage. A good result for the "diamond".

It was also a good result for Tosha Schareina, who finished on the podium 25 minutes and 12 seconds behind the leader. For him, it was a relatively easy stage, as he had a comfortable advantage over his Honda teammate, Skyler Howes. This is the Valencian rider's second consecutive podium, although a step below his 2015 result.

by Autonews