The 2026 Dakar Rally took competitors on a bruising ride from Yanbu to Al-Ula on Stage 2. Rocks were once again the main feature of the route, this one measuring 400 kilometres. Avoiding punctures was the name of the game as we got further evidence of up-and-coming competitors scoring an edge over more experienced rivals…
The latest young gun putting on a display of power and pace at the Dakar is 23-year-old Seth Quintero. The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver charged down the road between Yanbu and Al-Ula to pick up the Ultimate class stage win. It’s another sign that the new crop of off-road talents may be ready to wrestle the top prizes away from those Dakar veterans.
« In front of us Henk (Lategan) got a puncture early on so we were sat in his dust until the tyre change. It was great battling with Henk. Then I got past him and then I got by Toby (Price). If you’re battling your team-mates for the win then you’re having a good day. » – Seth Quintero
Five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah is clearly in no mood to give up his own dominance of the desert without a fight. The Qatari has driven his Dacia Sandrider to the top of the Ultimate class overall rankings after two stages, seven seconds clear of Quintero who remains his closest competitor.
« We didn’t go crazy today. We kept calm and avoided punctures. This is what we must do for the next days and then we can find our rhythm. Tomorrow will be a key stage of this Dakar. The navigation will be very tough. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
Guillaume De Mévius backed up his Stage 1 win with another impressive performance behind the wheel of his MINI JCW Rally 3.0i today. The son of former Dakar racer Grégoire De Mévius did enough to keep hold of his place on the overall podium despite losing an important piece of equipment out on the stage.
« We opened the entire stage and I think we did a good job. We got a couple of punctures. Then we lost the jack with 100km still to go so I knew we couldn’t afford another puncture. » – Guillaume De Mévius
There was plenty of praise for the co-drivers at the finish line in Al-Ula as the navigation challenges came thick and fast on the 400-kilometre timed special stage. Among those singled out for praise were the co-drivers of Mitch Guthrie Jr., Cristina Gutiérrez and Toby Price.
« After the service point we got a slow leaking tyre. I’m a little bit bummed about that. The terrain out there is absolutely brutal. All in all, the car is great and Armand (Monleón) is doing an amazing job. » – Toby Price
Rokas Baciuška, a former Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team-mate of Quintero, is another youngster taking the fight to his Dakar elders. The 26-year-old Lithuanian enjoyed another clean day behind the wheel of his Defender Dakar D7X‑R to maintain his overall lead in the Stock class.
« It was a proper Dakar day so we’re happy to bring the car to the finish line. There’s still such a long way to go and a lot of things that can happen. We’re taking things step-by-step. » – Rokas Baciuška
After two stages Baciuška has built a cushion of over 10 minutes from his nearest rivals. Baciuška’s Defender team-mate, 14-time Dakar winner Stéphane Peterhansel, is nearly an hour behind after running into trouble on Stage 1.
« I’m discovering that when you start in the middle of all the competitors you’re always in the dust. Maybe I saw 15 percent of the landscape today. The rest of the time I was in tunnel of dust. » – Stéphane Peterhansel
Taking charge of the two-wheeled contest on Stage 2 was defending Dakar champ Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders. The Australian caught up with his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team-mate Edgar Canet after 100km. The duo then completed the remaining 300km as a pair, both riders claiming the time bonus on offer for opening the road. It’s a 10th Dakar stage win for Sanders and the result moves him top of the general classification.
« I remembered a lot of the stage from riding here in 2023. It’s good to have an idea of what the terrain is like and it was fun to ride. It was good to get out front and open. » – Daniel Sanders
Canet picked up second place after setting the fastest time on both the Prologue and Stage 1. Despite a couple of crashes, the 20-year-old Spaniard hung on to end the day second overall, 1m35s behind Sanders in the overall rankings.
« I had two crashes. The first one happened when I left the piste to pass a camel. I hit a rock and crashed. I also scratched my arm on a tree but only my suit was damaged. OK, I had some little crashes but I’m not feeling anything bad in my body. » – Edgar Canet
Carrying on the story of fresh Dakar talent performing at the top level was Gonçalo Guerreiro in the SSV class. The Portuguese driver made a stunning Dakar debut 12 months ago, finishing as runner-up in the Challenger category. Now he’s back at the Dakar and racing a Polaris RZR Pro R in the SSV contest. Tonight in Al-Ula, 25-year-old Guerreiro is celebrating his first-ever Dakar stage win.
« Two flats for us today so it could have been even better, but it looks like my first Dakar stage win. Last year I was so close to get it, but I couldn’t. It looks like a good start to this Dakar. I’m feeling very emotional so it’s tough to speak right now. » – Gonçalo Guerreiro
In the Challenger class both Dania Akeel and Kevin Benavides will hope to take advantage of favourable starting positions on Stage 3 after losing time on their rivals on the road to Al-Ula.
Whenever the Dakar passes through Al-Ula the convoy are treated to the most spectacular scenery. Amazing rock formations give the region an other worldly feel and competitors are often tempted to slow down just so they can take in the full wonder of the place. However, everybody is well advised to pay full attention to the roadbook on tomorrow’s loop stage around Al-Ula. Stage 3 will be the toughest test of navigation at the rally so far and making it safely back to the bivouac will not be an easy task.
2026 Dakar Rally Stage 2 results
ULTIMATE – Top 3 plus selected
1. S. Quintero (USA) / A. Short (USA) – Toyota 03:57:16
2. H. Lategan (ZAF) / B. Cummings (ZAF) – Toyota +01:42
3. Y. Al Rajhi (KSA) / T. Gottschalk (GER) – Toyota +01:56
4. T. Price (AUS) / A. Monleón (ESP) – Toyota +04:36…
7. S. Loeb (FRA) / É. Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia +06:07
8. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Dacia +06:31…
12. G. De Mévius (BEL) / M. Baumel (FRA) – MINI +08:20
13. M. Ekström (SWE) / E. Bergvist (SWE) – Ford +09:27…
16. C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – Ford +11:42
17. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) – Ford +11:48…
19. C. Gutiérrez (ESP) / P. Moreno (ESP) – Dacia +12:45
20. L. Moraes (BRA) / D. Zenz (GER) – Dacia +13:39
21. L. Sanz (ESP) / M. Gerini (ITA) – Ebro +13:59…
23. M. Guthrie Jr. (USA) / K. Walch (USA) – Ford +14:43
STOCK – Top 3
1. S. Price (USA) S. Berriman (USA) / – Defender 04:57:33
2. R. Baciuška (LTU) / O. Vidal (ESP) – Defender +01:22
3. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / M. Metge (FRA) – Defender +01:26
BIKE RallyGP – Top 3 plus selected
1. D. Sanders (AUS) – KTM 04:13:37
2. E. Canet (ESP) – KTM +01:35
3. R. Brabec (USA) – Honda +01:46…
9. L. Benavides (ARG) – KTM +07:11…
58. M. Balooshi (UAE) – Honda +01:31:15…
SSV – Top 3 plus selected
1. G. Guerreiro (POR) / M. Justo (BRA) – Polaris 04:42:45
2. F. Vayssade (FRA) / N. Rey (FRA) – Polaris +01:02
3. X. De Soultrait (FRA) / M. Bonnet (FRA) – Polaris +02:46
4. F. López (CHI) / A. León (CHI) – Can-Am +05:15…
12. J. Krisstoffersson (SWE) / O. Floene (NOR) – Polaris +21:23…
CHALLENGER – Top 3 plus selected
1. L. Del Rio (CHI) / B. Jacomy (ARG) – Taurus 04:26:49
2. Y. Seaidan (KSA) / X. Flick (FRA) – Taurus +02:403.
3. P. Klaassen (NED) / A. Sanz (ARG) – KTM + 03:57…
8. D. Akeel (KSA) / S. Delaunay (FRA) – Taurus +15:2…
17. K. Benavides (ARG) / L. Sisterna (ARG) – Taurus +01:19:11…
Dakar Rally standings after Stage 2
ULTIMATE – Top 3 plus selected
1. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Dacia 07:12:16
2. S. Quintero (USA) / A. Short (USA) – Toyota +00:07
3. G. De Mévius (BEL) / M. Baumel (FRA) – MINI +01:09
4. H. Lategan (ZAF) / B. Cummings (ZAF) – Toyota +01:28
5. S. Loeb (FRA) / É. Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia +01:57…
7. T. Price (AUS) / A. Monleón (ESP) – Toyota +02:42
8. M. Ekström (SWE) / E. Bergvist (SWE) – Ford +04:04…
10. C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – Ford +06:35
11. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) – Ford +07:14…
13. L. Moraes (BRA) / D. Zenz (GER) – Dacia +10:02
14. M. Guthrie Jr. (USA) / K. Walch (USA) – Ford +10:32
15. C. Gutiérrez (ESP) / P. Moreno (ESP) – Dacia +10:34…
22. L. Sanz (ESP) / M. Gerini (ITA) – Ebro +23:14…
STOCK – Top 3 plus selected
1. R. Baciuška (LTU) / O. Vidal (ESP) – Defender 09:03:54
2. A. Miura (JPN) / J. Polato (FRA) – Toyota +11:37
3. R. Basso (FRA) / J. Menard (FRA) – Toyota +12:00
4. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / M. Metge (FRA) – Defender +56:53…
BIKE RallyGP – Top 3 plus selected
1. D. Sanders (AUS) – KTM 07:42:24
2. E. Canet (ESP) – KTM +00:30
3. R. Brabec (USA) – Honda +02:18…
6. L. Benavides (ARG) – KTM +10:04…
52. M. Balooshi (UAE) – Honda +02:28:58…
SSV – Top 3 plus selected
1. X. De Soultrait (FRA) / M. Bonnet (FRA) – Polaris 08:24:16
2. G. Guerreiro (POR) / M. Justo (BRA) – Polaris +01:47
3. B. Heger (USA) / M.Eddy (USA) – Polaris +06:22…
4. F. López (CHI) / A. León (CHI) – Can-Am +06:31…
12. J. Krisstoffersson (SWE) / O. Floene (NOR) – Polaris +37:53…
CHALLENGER – Top 3 plus selected
1. D. Zille (ARG) / S. Cesana (ARG) – Taurus 08:09:03
2. Y. Seaidan (KSA) / X. Flick (FRA) – Taurus +01:58
3. L. Del Rio (CHI) / B. Jacomy (ARG) – Taurus +02:22
8. D. Akeel (KSA) / S. Delaunay (FRA) – Taurus +15:53…
17. K. Benavides (ARG) / L. Sisterna (ARG) – Taurus +01:18:55…
QUOTES
Seth Quintero: « We knew we had to be conservative at the beginning. In front of us Henk got a puncture early on so we were sat in his dust until the tyre change. It was great battling with Henk. Then I got past him and then I got by Toby. If you’re battling your team-mates for the win then you’re having a good day. »
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « We didn’t go crazy today. We kept calm and avoided punctures. This is what we must do for the next days and then we can find our rhythm. Tomorrow will be a key stage of this Dakar. The navigation will be very tough. »
Guillaume De Mévius: « We opened the entire stage and I think we did a good job. We got a couple of punctures. Then we lost the jack with 100km still to go so I knew we couldn’t afford to get another puncture. So I was careful at the end. »
Henk Lategan: « We didn’t start too well with a puncture before the 20km mark. Then we get a second puncture about five kilometres before the pitstop. When we got our fresh tyres we started going quite hard until the end. »
Sébastien Loeb: « It was a clean stage for us. I took no risks in the stones, but even when you take no risks you can still get a puncture. I really tried to have a smooth ride over the stones. »
Toby Price: « After the service point we got a slow leaking tyre. I’m a little bit bummed about that. The terrain out there is absolutely brutal. All in all, the car is great and Armand is doing an amazing job. »
Mattias Ekström: « We had three punctures today so that wasn’t so good. I didn’t feel like any of the punctures were because of a mistake, just unlucky. Between the punctures everything felt really good. »
Carlos Sainz: « We had two punctures. One at the beginning and then a slow one later on. We had to change both of those and this cost us time. »
Lucas Moraes: « I think we were going good until the pitstop. After that we had two slow punctures. We also had some technical issue towards the finish so we just cruised home. We made it. »
Mitch Guthrie Jr.: « It was a tough day, a long day. We keep it moving all day. We had one puncture early on so we tried to fight back from there. One spot of navigation that was tough. Overall, it was a real Dakar day and our truck performed amazingly. »
Cristina Gutiérrez: « It was a proper Dakar stage. We suffered some punctures and this cost us time. We’re happy with the navigation that Pablo is doing. This is only Stage 2 and we’ve stayed inside the Top 15. »
Rokas Baciuška: « It was a tough day. It was a rocky day. It was a proper Dakar day so we’re happy to bring the car to the finish line. There’s still such a long way to go and a lot of things that can happen. We’re taking things step-by-step. »
Stéphane Peterhansel: « Today was a much better day than yesterday. I’m now discovering that when you start in the middle of all the competitors you are always in the dust. Maybe I saw 15 percent of the landscape today. The rest of the time I was in tunnel of dust. »
Daniel Sanders: « I remembered a lot of the stage from riding here in 2023. It’s good to have an idea of what the terrain is like and it was fun to ride. It was good to get out front and open. Any little mistakes with the navigation were fixed really quick and that’s important. »
Edgar Canet: « I had two crashes. The first one happened when I left the piste to pass a camel. I hit a rock and crashed. I also scratched my arm on a tree but only my suit was damaged. The navigation was tricky, in some points we had to stop to check the roadbook. Overall, I’m happy with the speed and with the navigation. OK, I had some little crashes but I’m not feeling anything bad in my body. Today the stage finished at the bivouac so we can go to rest directly. »
Luciano Benavides: « Today was a really fast stage. Just near the end of the stage I had a problem with my rear tyre, it was starting to hit me. Maybe it got destroyed by a rock. With that issue I had to take it easy to make sure I arrived in one piece. »
Gonçalo Guerreiro: « Two flats for us today so it could have been even better. But it looks like my first Dakar stage win. Last year I was so close to get it, but I couldn’t. It’s a good start to this Dakar. I’m feeling very emotional so it’s tough to speak right now.”
Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López: « We had to change our tyres because of all the rocks. It was important not to lose too much time on this stage. We went slow because it was so easy to get punctures on this stage. »