The Dakar Rally’s reputation as the toughest race on the planet has never been in doubt. Where else can you find a biker covering a daily distance of 900 kilometres one day after suffering a broken collarbone? The immense bravery shown by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders is inspiring everyone in the bivouac to see this thing through until the end. Now only two stages remain for Sanders and the rest of the convoy until Saturday’s finish line in Yanbu.
Sanders led the Dakars bike race when he crashed heavily on yesterday’s Stage 10. This morning when the Australian started Stage 11 his priorities had shifted. It’s not about winning back-to-back titles any more, just reaching the end of the rally will be an enormous achievement worthy of Dakar folklore. Chucky gritted his teeth and powered through the 347km special stage as well as over 500km of liaison route between Bisha and Al Henakiyah.
« I felt every bump through the collarbone. The fast, flat stuff was easy, but gripping the bike was super tough on the rocks and sand. It’s only two days left and I don’t want to be sat watching the race, I want to be in it. I want to finish. » – Daniel Sanders
Luciano Benavides has taken up Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s charge for victory since Sanders’s crash. The Argentinian hit top spot on Stage 11, but the gap to second placed Ricky Brabec is just 23 seconds. After racing against each other for nearly 45 hours it’s truly incredible for the two leading riders to be locked into such a close battle with only a pair of stages remaining.
« I’m not playing any strategy, I’m just doing what I can do and controlling what I can control. We’ll go for one big push tomorrow. Things are still super tight in the overall and nothing will be decided until the last day. » – Luciano Benavides
Benavides will have KTM team-mate Edgar Canet for company on Stage 12 as they enter the course as the fourth and third bikes. 20-year-old Canet has vowed to do all he can to help Benavides stay in pole position.
« Now we have two stages to go. We’ll try to help Luciano and the team with everything we have. Tomorrow we want to show good speed. » – Edgar Canet
Nasser Al-Attiyah took a huge step towards a sixth Dakar triumph in the Ultimate class as he put the hammer down from Bisha to Al Henakiyah. Across sand and stones the experienced Qatari put in another masterful drive in his Dacia Sandrider to control the race from the front.
« We’re happy to finish today, it wasn’t easy to judge the pace. We saw Sébastien coming so we let him pass and stayed behind until the end. We have a lead so losing a couple of minutes is no problem. We can finish this Dakar in first place. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
Henk Lategan has packed a decade worth of desert drama into his 2026 Dakar Rally. The South African said after Stage 10, « Every single thing that could go wrong has gone wrong at this race. » On Stage 11, the Dakar came up with a new way to torment Lategan, a broken bearing on his rear left wheel. This latest dose of mechanical misfortune has finally ended the hopes of last year’s runner-up scoring a repeat result. The broken bearing episode ended up costing the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver over four hours.
« This is the end of our Dakar. Everything that could be thrown at us was thrown at us. Every day we’d get back up and keep going. This Dakar has tried really hard to get us down and finally it’s managed. We lost four hours on the stage because one little bolt on the wheel broke. » – Henk Lategan
So Al-Attiyah’s closest rival is no longer the Toyota Hilux of Lategan, but the Ford Raptor T1+ of Nani Roma. The Spaniard has two stages left to claw back the 8m40s that separates himself from Al-Attiyah. Roma also has Ford M-Sport team-mates Carlos Sainz and Stage 11 winner Mattias Ekström in the mix if he wants to switch up his tactical approach.
« The stage was very straight with a lot of stones and a lot of dust. Even though we didn’t do well yesterday or on the marathon stage, those stages were more fun to drive. » – Mattias Ekström
Nine-time WRC winner Sébastien Loeb has replaced Lategan on the overall Ultimate class podium. The Dacia driver is still chasing his first Dakar win, but may have to settle for adding to his collection of five podium finishes at the world’s toughest rally.
« We had a good rhythm from the start until the end. I was quite aggressive on the stones to try and get some time. We passed Nasser and finished the stage as first car. » – Sébastien Loeb
Ready to support their Dacia Sandriders team-mates on the final couple of stages are Lucas Moraes and Cristina Gutiérrez. Dacia have never parked a car on the overall Dakar podium before and must hold their nerve during the upcoming 48 hours to get the job done this time.
« It was a super fast stage and it was difficult to catch the cars in front of us. Sometimes the cars in front would not let us pass. It was a difficult situation to manage. Our team needs to keep working hard on the last two stages to get the results that we want. » – Cristina Gutiérrez
Things went much smoother today for Stéphane Peterhansel after suffering one of the scariest moments of his entire Dakar career on yesterday’s stage. The 14-time Dakar winner had his Defender Dakar D7X‑R rear ended on the dunes during Stage 10, so was grateful to encounter less stress on Stage 11.
« By the end of stage we were three Defenders driving together. I stayed behind in case of technical problems because I’m carrying more spare parts. There was a lot of dust in places and in other places it was nice to drive. » – Stéphane Peterhansel
Peterhansel’s Defender Rally team-mate Rokas Baciuška moved closer to overall Stock class victory with a stage win on the way to Al Henakiyah.
« There were some rough places where you could make a mistake. We made it through and now we have two days more to go. We’ll see how tomorrow’s stage will be. » – Rokas Baciuška
In the Challenger class we’ve seen Taurus T3 Max drivers Dania Akeel and Kevin Benavides consistently on the pace during the second week of this Dakar. Saudi Arabian driver Akeel has steadily risen up the leaderboard since a difficult Stage 3. Meanwhile, Benavides has adapted quickly to racing on four wheels after winning the Dakar twice during his previous career as a biker.
« I’m glad to be in the race with two stages left and having fun driving. I think winning a stage really depends on chance. You drive your best every day and every single day we’re finishing in the Top 5 of the stages more or less. » – Dania Akeel
World Rallycross star Johan Kristoffersson was close to scoring a stage win on his debut Dakar today. The Swede led the SSV race through the first three checkpoints between Bisha and Al Henakiyah before eventually being pushed back to third place.
« It was full throttle for the first half of the stage and then stones for a couple of kilometres. Then it was full throttle again until the end. It was vey dusty and difficult to see. » – Johan Kristoffersson
Stage 12 will witness all-out attack spread across 310 kilometres of racing against the clock. Opportunities will present themselves to cut gaps across all leaderboards as hungry competitors make their last-gasp grab for Dakar glory. Keep an eye on the weather forecast as a route that encompasses so many riverbeds has the potential to add an extra element of surprise to proceedings. The finish line maybe insight, but it’s still all to play for as we return to Yanbu.
2026 Dakar Rally Stage 11 results
ULTIMATE – Top 3 plus selected
1. M. Ekström (SWE) / E. Bergvist (SWE) – Ford 02:47:22
2. R. Dumas (FRA) / A. Minocq (FRA) – Ford +01:22
3. C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – Ford +02:26…
5. S. Quintero (USA) / A. Short (USA) – Toyota +04:44
6. G. De Mévius (BEL) / M. Baumel (FRA) – MINI +05:32…
9. S. Loeb (FRA) / É. Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia +08:20
10. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) – Ford +08:37…
12. T. Price (AUS) / A. Monleón (ESP) – Toyota +10:10
13. L. Moraes (BRA) / D. Zenz (GER) – Dacia +10:27…
16. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Dacia +12:47
17. C. Gutiérrez (ESP) / P. Moreno (ESP) – Dacia +14:56…
25. L. Sanz (ESP) / M. Gerini (ITA) – Ebro +19:32…
29. M. Guthrie Jr. (USA) / K. Walch (USA) – Ford +22:57…
60 H. Lategan (ZAF) / B. Cummings (ZAF) – Toyota +03:59:34…
BIKE RallyGP – Top 3 plus selected
1. S. Howes (USA) – Honda 03:09:02
2. A. Van Beveren (FRA) – Honda +00:21
3. E. Canet (ESP) – KTM +01:15
4. L. Benavides (ARG) – KTM +03:37…
9. D. Sanders (AUS) – KTM +10:28…
STOCK – Top 3
1. R. Baciuška (LTU) / O. Vidal (ESP) – Defender 03:28:30
2. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / M. Metge (FRA) – Defender +00:49
3. S. Price (USA) S. Berriman (USA) / – Defender +29:58…
CHALLENGER – Top 3 plus selected
1. N. Cavigliasso (ARG) / V. Pertegarini (ARG) – Taurus 03:17:27
2. P. Spierings (NED) / J. Van Der Stelt (NED) – Taurus +00:29
3. D. Akeel (KSA) / S. Delaunay (FRA) – Taurus +01:03
4. K. Benavides (ARG) / L. Sisterna (ARG) – Taurus +01:18…
SSV – Top 3 plus selected
1. B. Heger (USA) / M.Eddy (USA) – Polaris 03:30:11
2. J. Gonzalez Ferioli (ARG) / G. Rinaldi (ARG) – Can-Am +00:51
3. J. Krisstoffersson (SWE) / O. Floene (NOR) – Polaris +03:05…
10. F. López (CHI) / A. León (CHI) – Can-Am +08:21
Dakar Rally standings after Stage 11
ULTIMATE – Top 5
1. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Dacia 44:39:59
2. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) – Ford +08:40
3. S. Loeb (FRA) / É. Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia +18:37
4. M. Ekström (SWE) / E. Bergvist (SWE) – Ford +21:32
5. C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – Ford +28:48…
BIKE RallyGP – Top 5
1. L. Benavides (ARG) – KTM 44:48:48
2. R. Brabec (USA) – Honda +00:23
3. T. Schareina (ESP) – Honda +15:16
4. D. Sanders (AUS) – KTM +23:32
5. S. Howes (USA) – Honda +34:20…
STOCK – Top 5
1. R. Baciuška (LTU) / O. Vidal (ESP) – Defender 52:54:09
2. S. Price (USA) S. Berriman (USA) / – Defender +03:59:09
3. R. Basso (FRA) / J Menard (FRA) – Toyota +06:00:51
4. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / M. Metge (FRA) – Defender +38:16:23
5. A. Miura (JPN) / J. Polato (FRA) – Toyota +51:57:05…
CHALLENGER – Top 5
1. P. Navarro (ESP) / J. Rosa (ESP) – Taurus 49:52:46
2. Y. Seaidan (KSA) / X. Flick (FRA) – Taurus +25:08
3. N. Cavigliasso (ARG) / V. Pertegarini (ARG) – Taurus +44:04
4. L. Del Rio (CHI) / B. Jacomy (ARG) – Taurus +45:49
5. P. Klaassen (NED) / A. Sanz (ARG) – KTM +01:03:00…
SSV – Top 5
1. B. Heger (USA) / M.Eddy (USA) – Polaris 50:10:28
2. K. Chaney (USA) / J. Argubright (USA) – Can-Am +01:06:06
3. X. De Soultrait (FRA) / M. Bonnet (FRA) – Polaris +01:27:54
4. F. López (CHI) / A. León (CHI) – Can-Am +01:55:50
5. J. Monteiro (POR) / N. Morais (POR) – Can-Am +02:35:13…
QUOTES
Daniel Sanders: « I felt every bump through the collarbone. I remembered the stage from last year. The fast, flat stuff was easy, but when we went on the rocks and sand gripping the bike was super tough. It wasn’t pleasant but I’m glad to make it through one more day. It’s only two days left and I don’t want to be sat watching the race, I want to be in it. I want to finish. »
Luciano Benavides: « In some sections it wasn’t safe to ride fast so I took it easy to avoid crashing. I’m not playing any strategy, I’m just doing what I can do and controlling what I can control. We’ll go for one big push tomorrow. Things are still super tight in the overall and nothing will be decided until the last day. »
Edgar Canet: « I was pushing with everything to try and win the stage. On the second part of the stage I was feeling really good. Now we have two stages to go. We’ll try to help Luciano and the team with everything we have. Tomorrow we want to show good speed. »
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « We’re happy to finish today, it wasn’t easy to judge the pace. We saw Sébastien coming so we let him pass and stayed behind until the end. Tomorrow we’ll try to do the same. We have a lead so losing a couple of minutes is no problem. We can finish this Dakar in first place. »
Henk Lategan: « This is the end of our Dakar. Everything that could be thrown at us was thrown at us. Every day we’d get back up and keep going. This Dakar has tried really hard to get us down and finally it’s managed. We lost four hours on the stage because of one little bolt on the wheel broke. We kept going and coming from the back. We kept pushing and trying hard on so many days. For that little bolt to put us out of the race is ridiculous. »
Nani Roma: « We had another good fight with the Dacias today. We needed to be super focused in the rocks and dust at the beginning. Overall, we were OK and the car is working really well. »
Sébastien Loeb: « We did a good stage with a good rhythm from the start until the end. I was quite aggressive on the stones to try and get some time. We passed Nasser and we passed Serradori to finish the stage as first car. »
Mattias Ekström: « We had a clean stage until the end when we caught a lot of dust. The stage was very straight with a lot of stones and a lot of dust. Even though we didn’t do well yesterday or on the marathon stage, those stages were much more fun to drive. »
Carlos Sainz: « Mattias caught me in the stones and after that I followed in his dust all the way. It was a really fast stage. Lots of stones and fast. »
Lucas Moraes: « It was a really fun day of driving at high speed. I guess we averaged about 130kph. We got one puncture 10km from the finish because of my mistake. Tomorrow we start in a great road position and we’ll try again. »
Toby Price: « It’s a bummer for Henk. I saw him in the stage and it looked like a hub had broke and unfortunately we didn’t have a spare one. It was tough to leave him there. The rest of the stage was good. We just couldn’t make up time because of the dust. »
Guillaume De Mévius: « We don’t have any pressure on our shoulders so we’re just enjoying the race now. It was a nice stage apart from the few kilometres where we were stuck in the dust. »
Mitch Guthrie Jr.: « It was pretty simple stage, really fast. We’re out of the overall now so we pulled over at the beginning to follow Nani and make sure everything was good with him. I think he had a great day so that’s good for the team. »
Cristina Gutiérrez: ‘It was a super fast stage and it was difficult to catch the cars in front of us. Sometimes the cars in front would not let us pass. It was a difficult situation to manage. Our team needs to keep working hard on the last two stages to get the results that we want. »
Laia Sanz: « We’re satisfied with our Dakar so far. It’s our first year with this new Ebro project. Our goal is to bring the car to the end. It was a pity that we had electrical issues because without that we could be more in front in the overall. We have a big motivation to keep working for the future. »
Rokas Baciuška: « There were some rough places where you could make a mistake. We made it through and now we have two days more to go. We’ll see how tomorrow’s stage will be. »
Stéphane Peterhansel: « By the end of stage we were three Defenders driving together. I stayed behind in case of technical problems because I’m carrying more spare parts. There was a lot of dust in places and in other places it was nice to drive. The balance of the car was super. »
Dania Akeel: « I’m glad to be in the race with two stages left and having fun driving. I really don’t know what to expect, it’s a surprise every day. I think winning a stage really depends on chance. You drive your best every day and every single day we’re finishing in the Top 5 of the stages more or less. »
Kevin Benavides: « This was a fast stage with a lot of stones plus some tricky sand in the middle. It was tough to control things on the stones and I did what I could to avoid a puncture. Overall, I did a good job fighting for the podium on this stage. I’m feeling better and better in the car. I’ll try to have another stage win before the rally finishes. »
Johan Kristoffersson: « It was full throttle for the first half of the stage and then stones for a couple of kilometres. Then it was full throttle again until the end. It was vey dusty and difficult to see. Tomorrow we go again. »
Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López: « Stage 11 was very fast with some tricky navigation in some places. My co-driver did a great job. It’s another stage done and now we only have two stages left to drive. We’ll keep going until the end. »
Christine Fial,