Dust is flying at the 2026 Dakar Rally as the race action kicked off with today’s Prologue Stage. During 23 kilometres against the clock on the sandy tracks outside of Yanbu we saw plenty of early markers laid down. History was made on two wheels and the mighty Defender Dakar D7X‑R made its debut at the world’s toughest rally. Let’s go deep into the desert…
At just 20 years, nine months and 18 days old, Edgar Canet is the youngest ever winner of a Bike stage at the Dakar Rally. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider covered the Prologue Stage in a lightening-fast 11m31s. The Catalan biker has graduated to the elite RallyGP class after winning the Dakar’s Rally2 category on his first attempt in 2025.
« I’m super happy with the rhythm I had today. I was 100 percent following the roadbook. I was braking before each danger point and avoiding risks. I was still able to go fast and it feels like the best way to start the rally. » – Edgar Canet
Canet’s fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Daniel Sanders and Luciano Benavides both pushed him hard on the dusty pistes on the outskirts of Yanbu. Reigning RallyGP Dakar winner Sanders finished second – just three seconds behind Canet – while Benavides finished fourth on the Prologue.
« It was pretty much full gas the whole way. Now the prologue is done and we’ll get into a long stage tomorrow. » – Daniel Sanders
There were also solid starts made to the 2026 Dakar by Harith Noah on his Sherco and Mohammed Balooshi onboard a Honda CRF 450.
« This prologue was definitely a step ahead compared with last year. Last time I also finished the prologue, but I did it with a broken hand and this time I don’t. » – Harith Noah
Plenty of the pre-race buzz in the Yanbu Start Camp Bivouac has revolved around the return of Stéphane ‘Monsieur Dakar’ Peterhansel. The fact that Peterhansel has brought with him the fearsome Defender Dakar D7X‑R just added to the sense of excitement. 14-time Dakar winner Peterhansel had to settle for a runners-up result in the Stock class on the Prologue Stage, with a gap of just three seconds separating himself and Defender team-mate Sara Price.
« It’s great to be back inside the atmosphere of the Dakar Rally. Today we finally entered our Defender into the race with this small Prologue. » – Stéphane Peterhansel
It was an impressive debut stage for the Defender Dakar D7X‑R as the vehicle locked out the Prologue Stage podium places. Crossing the line just a second behind Peterhansel was the third Defender car driven by Rokas Baciuška.
« This Prologue warmed up our muscles a little bit. Tomorrow is going to be a tough stage and there’s such a long way to go. » – Rokas Baciuška
Now moving into the Ultimate class car race where we witnessed Mattias Ekström’s extraordinary hit rate of Prologue success continue in Yanbu. After winning the Dakar’s opening day battle in both 2023 and 2024, the Swede has now claimed his third Prologue victory. It’s Ekström’s sixth Dakar stage victory in total, more than any other Swedish driver at the rally.
« The Prologue was much more difficult than I’d expected, in terms of navigation and stones. It was like a small Dakar stage. We had a clean run and if anybody managed to go quicker than us I can only say well done. We were at our maximum. » – Mattias Ekström
Ekström was not the only member of the Ford Raptor T1+ fleet that roared on the Prologue. Mitch Guthrie Jr. went second fastest while Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma were also within 18 seconds of Ekström’s time. It’s a solid start by Ford M-Sport as they look to improve on a third place finish 12 months ago.
« We had no issues or problems so I’m happy with our Prologue. Tomorrow is an important day and then we will see how everything works. » – Carlos Sainz
A result that was greeted with a huge cheer back in the Start Camp Bivouac was the third place on the Ultimate class Prologue achieved by Guillaume De Mévius and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel. Four-time winner Baumel is racing his first Dakar as an amputee and this opening result proves this pair can compete with the very best in their MINI JCW Rally 3.0i.
« It’s a good start for us, finishing P3 on the Prologue. We can see that the car’s performance is there so that’s nice. It’s a super good feeling to be with Mathieu in the car and to have this first small stage of the Dakar done. » – Guillaume De Mévius
Leading the charge for the Dacia Sandriders was five-time Dakar Rally winner Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Qatari is out to deliver Dacia their first-ever Dakar victory and demonstrated on this Prologue that he has the speed to get the job done.
« I’m really happy to get things started with a good pace. We tried to push from the very beginning until the end because we want to see what speed we have. Happy New Year to everyone! » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
The three other Dacia Sandriders drivers – Cristina Gutiérrez, Sébastien Loeb and Lucas Moraes – all finished within 30 seconds of Al-Attiyah. It’s clear that this group of drivers have the talent to keep Dacia right in the mix as the distances start to ramp up over the next two weeks in Saudi Arabia.
« You can lose more than you can win on the Prologue. Little by little we will increase our pace at this rally. » – Cristina Gutiérrez
It was a rapid start to the new Dakar by Seth Quintero of Toyota Gazoo Racing. The 23-year-old America scored the fifth fastest time on the Prologue, finishing just 14 seconds back from Ekström. With Canet becoming the youngest-ever winner of a Bike stage today, could we see the youngest-ever overall winner of the Ultimate class this year?
« It’s nice to get back into the groove. It didn’t feel like we could reach our top speed, but other than that it was a really good stage. Now we’ve got 13 stages ahead of us so this rally is just getting started. » – Seth Quintero
Another Toyota Hilux putting down an early display of intent was two-time Bike race winner Toby Price. The Australian was just 31 seconds back from Ekström. The news was not so good for the third Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Henk Lategan as he suffered a puncture that cost him over a minute and possibly more pain to come.
« It was a bit of a disaster for us. In one of the sandy bits we were in a rut and then hit a rock. We ended up getting a puncture. We thought that maybe we’d got away with it, but in the end we didn’t. Maybe we’ll end up opening the road tomorrow so that’ll be a tough start. » – Henk Lategan
Laia Sanz debuted her EBRO s800-XRR T1+ on today’s stage and drove it to within 46 seconds of Ekström’s winning time. It’s a positive start for the former biker who has a previous Top 10 finish on her Dakar CV.
« Maybe we were a bit too careful in the rocks, but overall we’re happy. Hopefully we get a good starting position for tomorrow because that’s when the racing really starts. » – Laia Sanz
In the lightweight divisions there was no shortage of drama on Yanbu’s Prologue Stage. It’s unlikely that eight-time World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson is going to forget his first taste of the Dakar in a hurry. The SSV entrant ended up upside down during the Prologue Stage.
« I went too fast into some patches of camel grass. When we hit the third one I lost control. The left front broke, the car flipped and we ended up on the roof. We’re hopeful the roll cage is OK so we can start tomorrow’s stage. » – Johan Kristoffersson
Elsewhere in the SSV contest there’s hot competition between Polaris and Can-Am. Gonçalo Guerreiro scored a second place finish in his Polaris while three-time Dakar winner Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López was sixth on the Prologue in his Can-Am.
In the Challenger class there was a podium result for Dania Akeel on the opening day of the Dakar. The Saudi Arabian racer is hoping for a memorable sign off to the Challenger class before moving up to race in the Ultimate category full-time.
« It was a fast Prologue with a lot of top speed areas. It was a really nice drive with some passes between mountains. It’s good to be racing in Saudi. » – Dania Akeel
Also well on the pace during his Challenger class debut was two-time Bike race winner Kevin Benavides. The Argentinian took seventh place on the Prologue, finishing just 22 seconds behind Challenger stage winner Paul Spierings.
It’s amazing how much drama the Dakar managed to pack into its 23 kilometre Prologue Stage. Tomorrow’s stage will have the convoy racing for over 300km against the clock. Four wheeled competitors will get the option of making a pitstop due to the large number of jagged rocks that litter the stage.
2026 Dakar Rally Prologue Stage results
BIKE RallyGP – Top 3 plus selected
1. Edgar Canet (ESP) – KTM 11:31
2. Daniel Sanders (AUS) – KTM +00:03
3. Ricky Brabec (USA) – Honda +00:05
4. Luciano Benavides (ARG) – KTM +00:11…
37. Harith Noah (IND) – Sherco +01:51…
45. Mohammed Balooshi (UAE) – Honda +02:28…
STOCK – Top 3
1. S. Price (USA) S. Berriman (USA) / – Defender 12:03
2. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / M. Metge (FRA) – Defender +00:04
3. R. Baciuška (LTU) / O. Vidal (ESP) – Defender +00:05…
ULTIMATE – Top 3 plus selected
1. M. Ekström (SWE) / E. Bergvist (SWE) – Ford 10:48
2. M. Guthrie Jr. (USA) / K. Walch (USA) – Ford +00:08
3. G. De Mévius (BEL) / M. Baumel (FRA) – MINI +00:08
4. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Dacia +00:08
5. S. Quintero (USA) / A. Short (USA) – Toyota +00:14…
8. C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – Ford +00:15…
11. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) – Ford +00:18…
14. C. Gutiérrez (ESP) / P. Moreno (ESP) – Dacia +00:26…
16. T. Price (AUS) / A. Monleón (ESP) – Toyota +00:31
17. S. Loeb (FRA) / É. Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia +00:34
18. L. Moraes (BRA) / D. Zenz (GER) – Dacia +00:34…
24. L. Sanz (ESP) / M. Gerini (ITA) – Ebro +00:46…
44. H. Lategan (ZAF) / B. Cummings (ZAF) – Toyota +01:38
CHALLENGER – Top 3 plus selected
1. P. Spierings (NED) / J. Van Der Stelt (NED) – Taurus 12:31
2. P. Klaassen (NED) / A. Sanz (ARG) – KTM +00:06
3. D. Akeel (KSA) / S. Delaunay (FRA) – Taurus +00:13…
7. K. Benavides (ARG) / L. Sisterna (ARG) – Taurus +00:22
SSV – Top 3 plus selected
1. B. Heger (USA) / M.Eddy (USA) – Polaris 12:47
2. G. Guerreiro (POR) / M. Justo (BRA) – Polaris +00:04
3. K. Chaney (USA) / J. Argubright (USA) – Can-Am +00:06…
6. F. López (CHI) / A. León (CHI) – Can-Am +00:21…
QUOTES
Edgar Canet: « I’m super happy with the rhythm I had today. I was 100 percent following the roadbook. I was braking before each danger point and avoiding risks. I was still able to go fast and it feels like the best way to start the rally. »
Daniel Sanders: « I’m happy to get the prologue done and get the rally started. It was faster than I expected it to be and less technical. It was pretty much full gas the whole way. Now the prologue is done and we’ll get into a long stage tomorrow. »
Luciano Benavides: « I felt a little bit of tension at the start, but the body felt good and everything went alright. I had a good rhythm and could go quite fast without making any mistakes. Since breaking my knee and my shoulder everyday has been a Dakar for me as I put everything I had into recovering in time for this rally. »
Harith Noah: « This prologue was definitely a step ahead compared with last year. Last time I finished the prologue, but I did it with a broken hand and this time I don’t. Now the prologue is done I feel my nerves calming down. »
Mohammed Balooshi: « I’m going to take this Dakar day by day, enjoy myself and have fun. I remind myself that I’m so blessed to be healthy and on my bike. I’m going to live each day at this Dakar to the fullest. »
Stéphane Peterhansel: « It’s great to be back inside the atmosphere of the Dakar Rally, to be back with this family. Today we finally entered our Defender into the race with this small Prologue. »
Rokas Baciuška: « This is my fifth Dakar and it’s always great to come back. This Prologue warmed up our muscles a little bit. Tomorrow is going to be a tough stage and there’s such a long way to go. »
Mattias Ekström: « The Prologue was much more difficult than I’d expected, in terms of navigation and stones. It was like a small Dakar stage. We had a clean run and if anybody managed to go quicker than us I can only say well done. We were at our maximum. »
Mitch Guthrie Jr.: « Our truck felt great today and Kellon did a great job. I feel like we were working together really well. It was a tricky Prologue and fast. The goal is always to win. »
Carlos Sainz: « We had no issues or problems so I’m happy with our Prologue. Tomorrow is an important day and then we will see how everything works. »
Nani Roma: « This was one of toughest Prologues I can remember. There were many rocks in many places so we tried our best to avoid them. We have a lot of kilometres ahead of us. »
Guillaume De Mévius: « It’s a good start for us, finishing P3 on the Prologue. We can see that the car’s performance is there so that’s nice. It’s a super good feeling to be with Mathieu in the car and to have this first small stage of the Dakar done. »
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « I’m really happy to get things started with a good pace. We tried to push from the very beginning until the end because we want to see what speed we have. Happy New Year to everyone! »
Cristina Gutiérrez: « It feels good to get the first kilometres in the car done. It was an amazing feeling to be back in the car after so long. You can lose more than you can win on the Prologue. Little by little we will increase our pace at this rally. »
Sébastien Loeb: « We did quite a clean stage with no big risks. We were in the dust of Lategan for half of the stage after he had a puncture. This caused me to lose the line in a few places and this cost me some time. »
Lucas Moraes: « It’s a new car for us so we’ll try to get better with each stage. We opened today and that’s never easy, but I think we started well. I’m really happy to be part of the Dacia team. »
Seth Quintero: « It’s nice to get back into the groove. It didn’t feel like we could reach our top speed, but other than that it was a really good stage. Now we’ve got 13 stages ahead of us so this rally is just getting started. »
Toby Price: « It was nice to shake the cobwebs out with a fast Prologue to start. Working with Armand is good. We caught a little bit of dust so that might have cost us some time. The car is feeling comfortable and really strong. »
Henk Lategan: « It was a bit of a disaster for us. In one of the sandy bits we were in a rut and then hit a rock. We ended up getting a puncture. We thought that maybe we’d got away with it, but in the end we didn’t. Maybe we’ll end up opening the road tomorrow so that’ll be a tough start. »
Laia Sanz: « Maybe we were a bit too careful in the rocks, but overall we’re happy. Hopefully we get a good starting position for tomorrow because that’s when the racing really starts. »
Johan Kristoffersson: « It was my mistake, I went too fast into these patches of camel grass. When we hit the third one I lost control. The left front broke, the car flipped and we ended up on the roof. It’s very, very disappointing, but that’s how it is. We’re hoping the roll cage is OK so we can start tomorrow’s stage. »
Dania Akeel: « It was a fast Prologue with a lot of top speed areas. It was a really nice drive with some passes between mountains. It’s good to be racing in Saudi. »
Kevin Benavides: « I was so excited to race my first Prologue on four wheels here at the Dakar. It feels quite different, but I really enjoyed it. I think we arrived with good speed without taking too many risks. »
Christine Fial,