The Dacia Sandriders will head into Sunday’s opening stage of the Dakar Rally (January 3) boosted by a successful Prologue, which its four crews completed on pace and without notable issue.
Covering a 22-kilometre route north of Yanbu – a port city on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast and host to the start and finish of international motorsport’s toughest event – the Prologue signalled the beginning of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) season.
It was also the first opportunity for The Dacia Sandriders to run as a foursome following the addition of reigning world champion Lucas Moraes and navigator Dennis Zenz to its all-star line-up.
Nasser Al-Attiyah, who’s eying a sixth Dakar Rally victory, was the quickest of The Dacia Sandriders’ quartet in fourth place, the Qatari driver completing the Prologue in 10m56.6s alongside Belgian navigator Fabian Lurquin, having started second.
Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno were next up in the Prologue ranking in 14th position after the Spaniards clocked a time of 11m14.8s.
Navigated by fellow Frenchman Édouard Boulanger and taking part on his 10th Dakar Rally, Sébastien Loeb completed the Prologue 17th fastest in 11m22.0s after he reported losing time in the dust of the delayed crew running ahead.
Competing for The Dacia Sandriders for the first time, Brazilian Lucas Moraes and German navigator Dennis Zenz were two seconds behind Loeb/Boulanger in 18th having opened the road.
While the Prologue wasn’t classed as being notably challenging, it still demanded ‘skilful driving’ according to the event organisers, with a route that wound its way over small hills and gravel tracks and featured variations in pace and terrain through fast and more technical canyons and some rocky sections.
The Dacia Sandriders is making its second Dakar Rally start following its debut in 2025, when it took a stage win and challenged for the podium.
It completed last season second in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship for Manufacturers after winning in Abu Dhabi and Morocco and finishing on the podium in South Africa and Portugal.
As well as adding Moraes/Zenz to its line-up, The Dacia Sandriders has made several key upgrades to its event-winning Dacia Sandrider, which continues to be powered by sustainable fuel from Aramco and equipped with BFGoodrich tyres. The upgrades are focused on weight reduction, cooling efficiency, visibility, reliability and driver comfort.
The starting position selection ceremony is due to take place at 19h00 local time today followed by the Stage 1 briefing at 19h30, when more details of what lies in store tomorrow (Sunday) will be revealed.
KEY QUOTES
NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (QATAR), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « We start second and we finish fourth. We have a good speed and don’t take any risks because it was not really necessary. I think it will be a good choice for tomorrow, tomorrow will be a long stage and we see how the other drivers are going. We try to manage because it’s still a long way but I’m really happy with the performance of the Dacia Sandrider. I will do my best. »
CRISTINA GUTIÉRREZ (SPAIN), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « The Prologue was good. After a long time out of the car it feels good to again be in the car. We finished 14th overall, which is quite good because we can select the starting position for tomorrow. But it’s just the beginning and tomorrow is the first real day of the Dakar, so I am looking forward. »
SÉBASTIEN LOEB (FRANCE), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « Nothing special, we just catch Henk Lategan, who had a puncture in front, so we were in his dust and for sure we lost some time for this, so the time in the Prologue is not incredible but we did our best, I didn’t take big risks also. It wasn’t easy to be one of the first cars on the road but we see for tomorrow. »
LUCAS MORAES (BRAZIL), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « The Prologue was good. Just to start with the new team, with the new car and also with Dennis was nice to open the road. Of course, we can always go faster but I think we’re in a good position.
« I know I need to learn more about the Dacia Sandrider and find the limit but it’s important to start on the right note. Good road position for tomorrow, good side of the yoyo let’s say, and thanks to the whole team for a great car. We’ve got to keep pushing. »
FABIAN LURQUIN (BELGIUM), NAVIGATOR, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS : « Pretty difficult to start with, some tricky navigation, but Nasser has got a good nose and we worked well. It wasn’t easy to start in second place with not many tracks in front of us, but it was a good pace all along and, in the end, we finished in fourth place starting in second position, so it’s a good start to the rally. Stage 1 shouldn’t be the hardest navigation of the rally but the organisation already told us that due to rain and heavy wind all the tracks were blown away so it’s not going to be easy all the way through the Dakar, but it shouldn’t be the hardest one tomorrow. »
DAKAR RALLY PROLOGUE RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL) – Yanbu-Yanbu
Stage distance: 22km Liaison distance: 73.56km Total distance: 95.56km
4th Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL), 10m56.6s
14th Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno (ESP), 11m14.8s
17th Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA), 11m22.0s
18th Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Dennis Zenz (GER), 11m22.2s
DAKAR RALLY: THE BIG NUMBER
2: The Dacia Sandriders is contesting its second Dakar Rally following its debut 12 months ago.
THE DAY AHEAD: STAGE 1, JANUARY 4
The 2026 Dakar Rally’s first proper stage is all about variety. From a rocky opening section, crews negotiate narrow passages and punishing terrain where the risk of punctures is considered high.
A mid-stage tyre ‘pitstop’ provides welcome respite before a high-speed run to the finish via sandy sections dotted with small dunes.
Stage distance: 305km Liaison distance: 213km Total distance: 518km
Linda Hirvonen,