Staying on the right track was no easy task on Stage 9 of the 2026 Dakar Rally. Navigational pitfalls were everywhere on the first half of this Dakar’s second Marathon-Refuge Stage. With 410 kilometres of racing today followed by a further 421 kilometres tomorrow, this is a decisive 48 hours. Adding to the convoy’s complications are the marathon stage rules in place tonight. Only competitors can work on repairing their vehicles as they camp out away from their service crews.
Putting himself in pole position in the Ultimate class with just four stages left to race is Nani Roma. The former Dakar winner on both two and four wheels dealt with a trio of punctures on the route between Wadi Ad-Dawasir and the Marathon-Refuge bivouac. The Spaniard used all of his desert racing experience to stay calm on the dunes and park his Ford Raptor T1+ in first place overall.
« I had three punctures today. but I think everyone else also had problems. I already knew this morning that these two days would be crucial. For now we must be humble and quiet. » – Nani Roma
Also moving up the rankings on Stage 9 was Roma’s Ford M-Sport team-mate Carlos Sainz. The four-time Dakar winner is chasing a fifth win with a fifth different manufacturer. El Matador pitches his tent tonight knowing that he’s less than a minute from the summit of the Ultimate class. A remarkable leap despite incurring a speeding penalty of 1m10s.
« Navigation was very tricky in one place and it was difficult to find the way. We had to turn around. Near the end I nearly got stuck in one place. Also I think I get some penalty for speeding. » – Carlos Sainz
Dacia driver Nasser Al-Attiyah was dislodged from the Ultimate class lead which he had held since the Rest Day. The Qatari will be out to jump straight back into top spot on tomorrow’s 421-kilometre stage to Bisha as he targets a sixth Dakar title.
« Navigation was tricky today. I don’t know what position we are in now or how many minutes we lost from the winner. We’ll see how it will be. Tomorrow will be an important day and we’re absolutely ready for it. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
It was mixed fortunes for Al-Attiyah’s Dacia team-mates. Nine-time WRC winner Sébastien Loeb was hampered by a mechanical issue on his Dacia Sandrider which prevented him from making Stage 9 gains.
« We could have made a good move today, but we had to do 180 kilometres without power steering. It was impossible to drive. » – Sébastien Loeb
The news was better for Cristina Gutiérrez, also behind the wheel of a Dacia Sandrider. The Spaniard scored her best stage result of the rally so far and has propelled herself into the overall Top 10 of the Ultimate class.
« We took a lot of dust in the beginning because we started far back. We got lost for 10 minutes, maybe less. I’m happy with the rhythm we had on the stage. » – Cristina Gutiérrez
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Daniel Sanders took a huge step towards his dream of making it back-to-back Dakar victories on Stage 9. Not only did the Australian recover his place at the top of the rankings, his current advantage of 6m24s is the biggest lead he’s enjoyed so far at this Dakar.
« Right at the beginning I checked the roadbook quickly and I could see that there was going to be a bit of chaos. There was one tricky note at 34km. Luciano was there lost and I was in his dust. We knew we’d lost a lot of time. Whatever the results today we’ll just make the best of it for tomorrow. » – Daniel Sanders
Sanders’s KTM team-mate Luciano Benavides had put himself in top spot with a win on Stage 8, but opening the road today proved an uphill task for the Argentinian. Difficulty with navigation early on Stage 9 saw Benavides miss out on time bonuses for opening. The KTM rider reached the Marathon-Refuge bivouac in third overall, 7m05s back from Sanders.
« At the beginning I lost nine minutes and after that I was just trying to survive in the dust. We were riding in a group of four riders so it was not easy. Tomorrow I’ll start from behind so that should be good. I have a small cut in the rear tyre, but nothing crazy. » – Luciano Benavides
Rokas Baciuška took another step towards delivering Stock class victory for Defender Rally on their Dakar debut. Another stage win for the Lithuanian saw him extend his cushion at the top of the leaderboard to over three hours.
« It was another long stage, four hours and 28 minutes. The stage ended with soft dunes. It was easy to get stuck and lose time on the dunes. Now we’ll check the car and look forward to even more dunes tomorrow. » – Rokas Baciuška
Baciuška’s Defender team-mate Stéphane Peterhansel was on the start line of this latest Marathon-Refuge Stage despite a late arrival to the Wadi Ad-Dawasir bivouac. The 14-time Dakar winner suffered a snapped alternator belt on Stage 8 and his mechanical misfortunes continued on Stage 9.
« Halfway through Stage 8 we had a problem with the alternator belt. We ended up finishing super late and took a big penalty. This morning we started well. Then just before the assistance point we had a broken shock absorber. » – Stéphane Peterhansel
Two-time Dakar bike race winner Kevin Benavides is carrying on his red-hot form in the Challenger class during the Dakar’s second week. The Argentinian narrowly missed out on his second stage win on four wheels, eventually having to settle for a runner-up result on Stage 9.
« We got lost a little bit, but always came back to the good way. We were fighting in the dust to pass some cars. The car is clean and that’s good because today is marathon. » – Kevin Benavides
In the SSV class there’s a late charge coming from two-time category winner Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López. The Chilean has a view of the overall podium from fifth overall and today’s stage win will certainly help his cause. López took the stage by 33 seconds from Dakar debutant Johan Kristoffersson in second.
« It was a good mix on this stage and the navigation was tough. In one part we lost two minutes. It was fun to drive the last kilometres of the stage on the sand. » – Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López
The individual performance of each competitor on Stage 10 will be defined by how they cope with the sand dunes of Bisha. Bikers face a 371km special stage while competitors on four wheels take on a separate 421km course to the Bisha bivouac. Sand racing specialists can make a late surge up the leaderboard as the second Marathon-Refuge Stage wraps up on desert dunes. It will be vital to strike the right balance between risk and reward. One false move on the dunes and all the hard work put in to reach this point will have been in vain.
2026 Dakar Rally Stage 9 results
ULTIMATE – Top 3 plus selected
1. E. Goczal (POL) / S. Gospodarczyk (POL) – Toyota 03:46:42
2. M. Goczal (POL) / D. Ortega (ESP) – Toyota +07:45
3. T. Price (AUS) / A. Monleón (ESP) – Toyota +11:36…
5. G. De Mévius (BEL) / M. Baumel (FRA) – MINI +14:03
6. C. Gutiérrez (ESP) / P. Moreno (ESP) – Dacia +14:49
7. C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – Ford +15:31
8. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) – Ford +15:36…
11. S. Quintero (USA) / A. Short (USA) – Toyota +20:00…
14. H. Lategan (ZAF) / B. Cummings (ZAF) – Toyota +25:18
15. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Dacia +26:23…
19. S. Loeb (FRA) / É. Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia +28:54…
22. L. Moraes (BRA) / D. Zenz (GER) – Dacia +32:07…
24. M. Ekström (SWE) / E. Bergvist (SWE) – Ford +32:32…
31. M. Guthrie Jr. (USA) / K. Walch (USA) – Ford +01:09:13…
50. L. Sanz (ESP) / M. Gerini (ITA) – Ebro +01:46:01
BIKE RallyGP – Top 3 plus selected
1. T. Schareina (ESP) – Honda 03:45:42
2. D. Sanders (AUS) – KTM +04:35
3. R. Brabec (USA) – Honda +06:22…
7. L. Benavides (ARG) – KTM +11:50…
11. E. Canet (ESP) – KTM +38:38…
STOCK – Top 3 plus selected
1. R. Baciuška (LTU) / O. Vidal (ESP) – Defender 04:36:24
2. S. Price (USA) S. Berriman (USA) / – Defender +29:39
3. A. Miura (JPN) / J. Polato (FRA) – Toyota +36:31…
5. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / M. Metge (FRA) – Defender +45:12
CHALLENGER – Top 3 plus selected
1. P. Spierings (NED) / J. Van Der Stelt (NED) – Taurus 04:08:57
2. K. Benavides (ARG) / L. Sisterna (ARG) – Taurus +01:20
3. D. Zille (ARG) / S. Cesana (ARG) – Taurus +06:34…
13. D. Akeel (KSA) / S. Delaunay (FRA) – Taurus +54:21
SSV – Top 3
1. F. López (CHI) / A. León (CHI) – Can-Am 04:23:43
2. J. Krisstoffersson (SWE) / O. Floene (NOR) – Polaris +00:33
3. H. Miller (USA) / J. Gray (USA) – Can-Am +03:50
Dakar Rally standings after Stage 9
ULTIMATE – Top 5
1. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) – Ford 36:44:01
2. C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – Ford +00:57
3. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Dacia +01:10
4. H. Lategan (ZAF) / B. Cummings (ZAF) – Toyota +06:13
5. M. Ekström (SWE) / E. Bergvist (SWE) – Ford +11:19
BIKE RallyGP – Top 5
1. D. Sanders (AUS) – KTM 37:09:17
2. R. Brabec (USA) – Honda +06:24
3. L. Benavides (ARG) – KTM +07:05
4. T. Schareina (ESP) – Honda +15:28
5. S. Howes (USA) – Honda +44:15
STOCK – Top 5
1. R. Baciuška (LTU) / O. Vidal (ESP) – Defender 43:16:38
2. S. Price (USA) S. Berriman (USA) / – Defender +03:07:30
3. R. Basso (FRA) / J Menard (FRA) – Toyota +04:23:56
4. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / M. Metge (FRA) – Defender +37:53:08
5. A. Miura (JPN) / J. Polato (FRA) – Toyota +50:07:14
CHALLENGER – Top 5
1. P. Navarro (ESP) / J. Rosa (ESP) – Taurus 40:47:03
2. Y. Seaidan (KSA) / X. Flick (FRA) – Taurus +41:41
3. L. Del Rio (CHI) / B. Jacomy (ARG) – Taurus +57:34
4. D. Zille (ARG) / S. Cesana (ARG) – Taurus +01:06:57
5. P. Klaassen (NED) / A. Sanz (ARG) – KTM +01:23:58
SSV – Top 5
1. B. Heger (USA) / M.Eddy (USA) – Polaris 41:21:53
2. K. Chaney (USA) / J. Argubright (USA) – Can-Am +44:08
3. J. Monteiro (POR) / N. Morais (POR) – Can-Am +01:02:16
4. X. De Soultrait (FRA) / M. Bonnet (FRA) – Polaris +01:19:49
5. F. López (CHI) / A. León (CHI) – Can-Am +01:38:19
QUOTES
Carlos Sainz: « Navigation was very tricky in one place and it was difficult to find the way. We had to turn around. Now we need to wait and see our results. Near the end I nearly got stuck in one place. Also I think I get some penalty for speeding so we will see. »
Nani Roma: « I had three punctures today, but I think everyone else had problems today. In the middle of the stage we were going slowly with two punctures already. Then we found Nasser looking for the track. We found the track, but then we had another puncture. I already knew this morning that these two days would be crucial. For now we must be humble and quiet. »
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « Navigation was tricky today. I don’t know what position we are in now or how many minutes we lost from the winner. We’ll see how it will be. Tomorrow will be an important day and we’re absolutely ready for it. »
Toby Price: « I hit a square edge and bent a rim. We were panicking a little bit, but we got back on our rhythm. The boys at the front played some big games. We’re not in the best starting position for tomorrow’s sand dunes, but the stage result is good. »
Cristina Gutiérrez: « No mechanical problems today. We took a lot of dust in the beginning because we started far back. We got lost for 10 minutes, maybe less. I’m happy with the rhythm we had on the stage. »
Seth Quintero: « It was great fun. Andrew did a great job and we opened a lot of the way. We dropped back to fix a puncture and the guys in front got super lost. This messed up the road. Somehow we finished third on the road so I think there’s been a big shake up of the lead. »
Guillaume De Mévius: « Like most people we got lost on the stage. I think it cost us about 15 minutes. For the rest it was an OK day. I think today was an interesting day in the fight for the overall. A lot of things happened. »
Henk Lategan: « We were going OK until we got lost. Then we got a puncture and after that our power steering completely went. We got the power steering pump fixed at the pitstop and this cost us 20 minutes. We also hit a bush that put in our windscreen. »
Sébastien Loeb: « We could have made a good move today, but we had to do 180 kilometres without power steering. It was impossible to drive. »
Mitch Guthrie Jr.: « We were P2 up until the pitstop. When we pulled in we smelt oil so we stopped there and tried as best we could to fix the oil leak. We got going, but had to stop again for about an hour to try and fix the leak again. »
Laia Sanz: « Today was a disaster. We had an electrical issue so we were stopped for more than an hour. It’s a pity because we were doing a consistent job. In the end we’re just happy to reach the end of this stage. »
Daniel Sanders: « Right at the beginning I checked the roadbook quickly and I could see that there was going to be a bit of chaos. We’re in a new area that we’ve not raced in before. There was one tricky note at 34km and we missed it. Luciano was there lost and I was in his dust. Whatever the results are for today we’ll just make the best of it for tomorrow. »
Luciano Benavides: « There was a tricky note at the beginning. I was the first one there and did a mistake. And then Daniel did the same mistake. I had already lost nine minutes and after that I was just trying to survive in the dust. We were riding in a group of four riders so it was not easy. Tomorrow I’ll start from behind. I have a small cut in the rear tyre, but nothing crazy. »
Edgar Canet: « At the start I was feeling really, really good. I was pushing and in a great rhythm. Then the bike stopped 5km before the refuel because I broke something, maybe a fuel pump. I had to switch the tanks around and this cost me some minutes.
Rokas Baciuška: « It was another long stage, four hours and 28 minutes. The first part was rocky with some twisty corners. Then the stage ended with soft dunes. It was easy to get stuck and lose time on the dunes. Now we’ll check the car and look forward to even more dunes tomorrow. »
Stéphane Peterhansel: « Yesterday was a complicated stage for us. Halfway through the stage we had a problem with the alternator belt. We ended up finishing super late and took a big penalty. This morning we started well. Then just before the assistance point we had a broken shock absorber. »
Dania Akeel: « After the neutralisation there was a fast area. Suddenly we were in a twisty track with a slippery surface and trees all around. I crashed into a tree and broke parts of the car. After that I had to come to the finish line slowly. »
Kevin Benavides: « Overall it was a good stage for us. We got lost a little bit, but always came back to the good way. We were fighting in the dust to pass some cars. The car is clean and that’s good because today is marathon. »
Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López: « It was a good mix on this stage and the navigation was tough. In one part we lost two minutes. It was fun to drive the last kilometres of the stage on the sand. »
Johan Kristoffersson: « It was so dusty in places. After the refuel we drove into a dead end in a valley while we were in the dust. I had to reverse and come back out. I have no idea if we did well or not. »
Christine Fial,