After two weeks of high-speed drama on the dunes, the 2026 Dakar Rally produced a blockbuster finish on the home straight. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Luciano Benavides snatched victory by two seconds after racing for over 49 hours on a perilous route of rocks and sand in Saudi Arabia. The closest finish in the Dakar’s 48-year history is a reminder why we love the wild unpredictability of the world’s toughest race. Elsewhere in the convoy we witnessed a sixth title for desert legend Nasser Al-Attiyah, plus the Defender Dakar D7X‑R was dominant on its debut. Let’s check in with our Red Bull Desert Wings squad now the dust has finally settled on the 13th and final stage of this incredible edition of the Dakar Rally.
Luciano Benavides started the final stage trailing bike race leader Ricky Brabec by 3m20s. It looked very unlikely that the KTM rider could catch his Honda rival on the 105km loop around the Yanbu bivouac. Unlikely, but not impossible, because this is the Dakar. When Brabec made a navigation error just seven kilometres from the finish line Benavides pounced. Making Benavides’s victory even more sensational were the knee and shoulder injuries sustained just three months ago that had put his Dakar participation in doubt. Cheering Luciano over the line in Yanbu was his brother Kevin, himself a two-time winner on two wheels at the toughest rally on the planet.
« I cannot believe it! I never stopped dreaming. To win by just two seconds is unreal. I woke up today full of motivation and energy, trusting myself to do what I can. That’s the key to success at the Dakar. My brother Kevin won by 43 seconds in 2023 and that was the closest finish ever. Now I’ve won by two seconds. Two seconds after two weeks and over 8,000km is hard to believe. » – Luciano Benavides
Daniel Sanders made it across the line despite suffering collarbone and sternum injuries due to a heavy crash on Stage 10. The Australian summoned superhuman bravery to complete the final three stages in Saudi Arabia and remarkably kept his position in the Top 5 overall. 2025 Dakar winner Sanders shook off the pain to congratulate his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team-mate.
« At the finish I was in so much pain I just wanted to lie down. Then they told me Luciano had won so I rushed over to congratulate him. That’s the Dakar, it’s never over until it’s over. I’m just happy to make it to the finish line. I’m in a lot of pain. I’ll head to the hospital when I get home to Australia and get it all checked out. » – Daniel Sanders
Also celebrating in Yanbu was the third Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider, Edgar Canet. The 20-year-old won Stage 13 to end his rally on a high and is determined to follow in the footsteps of his team-mates and taste overall Dakar glory one day soon. Canet scored his own slice of history when he opened the rally with back-to-back stage wins, becoming the youngest biker to win a Dakar stage in the process.
« I’m happy for all the KTM family. We show all the time that we have the fastest bike in the desert. We’re full of motivation to keep working and fighting. » – Edgar Canet
This Dakar showed just how brutal the race can be as the rally ended prematurely this year for Harith Noah and Mohammed Balooshi in the first week. We wish both riders a speedy recovery from their injuries.
Nasser Al-Attiyah kept the wheels of his Dacia Sandrider on the right track to score his sixth Dakar triumph in the Ultimate class. The Qatari and co-driver Fabian Lurquin sped away from the pack in the second week of the rally. The Olympic medalist picked up the 50th stage win of his illustrious Dakar career on the way to his latest overall victory. Al-Attiyah gives Dacia it’s first Dakar win, adding to his wins behind the wheel of Volkswagen, Mini and Toyota machinery.
« From the start we believed we could win this race. We started from zero with this Dacia project and we’ve developed the car so much. Now we’ve won the Dakar. Thank you to my co-driver Fabian and thank you to the team. I’m so happy to win the Dakar for the sixth time. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
The Ford Raptor T1+ of Nani Roma was snapping at the heels of Al-Attiyah as the finish line came into view. The Spaniard, already a Dakar winner on two and four wheels, will look back at the penultimate stage of this rally as the point when his Dacia rival finally got away.
« Yesterday I broke a wheel 50 metres before the end of the special, but we kept believing in our chances and here we are today, in second place. You have to congratulate Nasser for pulling it off. » – Nani Roma
Roma lead home all four Ford M-Sport cars, with team-mates Mattias Ekström finishing third, Carlos Sainz fifth and Mitch Guthrie Jr. twelfth. Former DTM and WRX champion Ekström pointed out the fine margins between success and failure at the Dakar after signing off with a stage win.
« I’m pleased with the podium, but we come here to win. This sport is becoming more like circuit racing, it comes down to the smallest details. » – Mattias Ekström
Sébastien Loeb missed out on his sixth Dakar podium by just 37 seconds as Ekström got away on the final stage. Loeb, plus his fellow Dacia drivers Lucas Moraes and Cristina Gutiérrez, celebrated with their victorious team-mate Al-Attiyah.
« At the end we finished fourth overall so it was not a bad rally. It was a victory for Dacia so that was the goal. Maybe I could have done better than fourth, but the win would have been difficult because Nasser did an incredible job. » – Sébastien Loeb
For most of the rally it was Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Henk Lategan who looked the most likely to displace Al-Attiyah at the top of the Ultimate class standings. The South African kept coming back fighting from a series of mechanical misfortunes including numerous punctures, a smashed windshield and suspension issues. Eventually it was a broken wheel bearing on Stage 11 that saw Lategan’s challenge fall away.
« It’s been a frustrating Dakar for us. After each bad day we’d motivate ourselves to get going again on the next stage. It was unbelievable that we were still fighting for the win when that wheel bearing failed. It still stings a little bit to be right up there and then drop out of it. » – Henk Lategan
Lategan’s Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mates Toby Price and Seth Quintero both registered Top 10 finishes in the Ultimate class. Two-time Bike race champion Price and 23-year-old Quintero are playing catch-up against more experienced rivals and both grew in stature in the Ultimate class this past fortnight.
« I set a goal to be Top 10 so I’m stoked to get eighth. Sure, to win would be the ultimate goal, but racing against all these guys who have got so much experience is a tall order. » – Toby Price
Another biker-turned-driver at the Dakar is Laia Sanz who just finished her 15th edition of the rally. Sanz brought the brand-new EBRO s800-XRR T1+ to Saudi Arabia and drove it to a solid Top 20 finish.
« The car was amazing and we learned at lot during the rally. We know what needs to improve, for myself and for the car. I can’t wait to come back here and be a bit closer to the front. » – Laia Sanz
One of the storylines that has captured the entire bivouac at this Dakar was the return of Mathieu Baumel. The four-time Dakar champion had his right leg amputated less than 12 months ago as a result of a road accident. Baumel demonstrated immense bravery to return as Guillaume De Mévius’s co-driver as the pair brought their MINI JCW Rally 3.0i across the finish line.
« Unfortunately we’re a little disappointed with our last day because we had another issue with the car. It’s been a nice and crazy story for Mathieu to be back. I’m really happy to have lived that with him. So it’s been a frustrating Dakar but also a happy one. » – Guillaume De Mévius
In the Stock category there was an awesome display of Dakar dominance by the Defender Rally Team on their debut. Leading the charge behind the wheel of his Defender Dakar D7X‑R was Rokas Baciuska. The Lithuanian driver hit the front early and a total of eight stage wins saw him cement his maiden Dakar victory.
« It’s amazing for Defender to win in their first year. This is my fifth Dakar and I’m bringing home my first win. The team did a big job and missed out on a lot of sleep. » – Rokas Baciuška
Stéphane Peterhansel made his return to the Dakar with his own Defender Dakar D7X‑R vehicle. The 14-time Dakar winner – known in the bivouac as Monsieur Dakar – played his part in Defender’s dominance with three stage wins.
« This Dakar was a nice adventure. It was a little bit different to what I knew in the past, but it’s been super nice to do something new. The spirit in the team is really great. The rally has been a rollercoaster and I’m taking away a lot of good memories. » – Stéphane Peterhansel
It was a double celebration for the Benavides family on the finish line of Stage 13. Not only did Luciano win the bike race, but his older brother Kevin Benavides finished things off with his third stage win in the Challenger class. It’s been an impressive debut on four wheels from the two-time Dakar bike race champion.
« It’s an historic day for our family and an historic day for the Dakar. I’m so proud of my brother Luciano. I was not with him on the bikes this year as I raced in the Challenger class. It was a tough start to life on four wheels in the first week, but we didn’t give up. The second week was much better for us and I’m learning with every kilometre I drive. » – Kevin Benavides
Also maintaining impressive pace in the Challenger category was Dania Akeel. The Saudi Arabian racer scored podium results on seven of the rally’s 13 stages. Akeel would have been in the reckoning for the overall podium if it wasn’t for some bad luck in the rocks during the Dakar’s first week.
« We made it to the finish line which is the most important thing you can do at the Dakar. We set ourselves the target of finishing inside the Top 3 on every stage. I had one too many punctures on Stage 3 and that put me back. » – Dania Akeel
Embracing every new experience the Dakar threw at him was eight-time World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson in the SSV class. There were some flips and rolls along the way, but the Swede nearly signed off with a stage win as he clocked the second fastest time in class on the final day.
« It’s been two very eventful weeks. It started off really tough and from there we got up to a better road position. Then it started getting really enjoyable. I made mistakes and also learned a lot. » – Johan Kristoffersson
There was no third SSV title for Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López at this Dakar. The Chilean battled back from some tough days on the rocks to lift himself to a final position of sixth overall.
« The 2026 Dakar Rally has been a super tough one. It was very fast-paced and there were lots of dangerous rocks on many stages. There was also lots of dust, but we enjoyed ourselves. » – Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López
The rally ended too soon for Gonçalo Guerreiro and his bid for glory in the SSV race. The Portuguese speedster broke three bones in his left hand when he crashed on Stage 8. Guerreiro flew back to Portugal for surgery and is recovering from his injuries.
The 2026 Dakar Rally was another two-week adventure packed with dramatic incidents on the dunes. All those brave competitors willing to take on this unique challenge of racing 5,000km through rough terrain are truly heroic. The winners will celebrate tonight in Yanbu and collect their precious World Rally-Raid Championship points. Round 2 of the series will take the convoy to Europe for the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, running March 17-22.
2026 Dakar Rally Stage 13 results
ULTIMATE – Top 3 plus selected
1. M. Ekström (SWE) / E. Bergvist (SWE) – Ford 46:14
2. S. Loeb (FRA) / É. Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia +00:08
3. H. Lategan (ZAF) / B. Cummings (ZAF) – Toyota +00:13…
6. C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – Ford +00:45…
10. C. Gutiérrez (ESP) / P. Moreno (ESP) – Dacia +02:13…
12. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) – Ford +02:28…
14. T. Price (AUS) / A. Monleón (ESP) – Toyota +02:31…
16. L. Moraes (BRA) / D. Zenz (GER) – Dacia +03:03…
18. L. Sanz (ESP) / M. Gerini (ITA) – Ebro +03:12…
22. S. Quintero (USA) / A. Short (USA) – Toyota +04:40…
36. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Dacia +08:48…
56. M. Guthrie Jr. (USA) / K. Walch (USA) – Ford +18:46…
60. G. De Mévius (BEL) / M. Baumel (FRA) – MINI +01:05:21…
BIKE RallyGP – Top 3 plus selected
1. E. Canet (ESP) – KTM 49:03
2. L. Benavides (ARG) – KTM +00:06
3. T. Schareina (ESP) – Honda +00:47…
23. D. Sanders (AUS) – KTM +08:10
STOCK – Top 3
1. R. Baciuška (LTU) / O. Vidal (ESP) – Defender 55:51
2. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / M. Metge (FRA) – Defender +00:32
3. S. Price (USA) S. Berriman (USA) / – Defender +01:01…
CHALLENGER – Top 3 plus selected
1. K. Benavides (ARG) / L. Sisterna (ARG) – Taurus 52:28
2. C. Munster (LUX) / X. Panseri (FRA) – KTM +01:13
3. L. Del Rio (CHI) / B. Jacomy (ARG) – Taurus +01:172…
8. D. Akeel (KSA) / S. Delaunay (FRA) – Taurus +24:46…
SSV – Top 3 plus selected
1. J. Monteiro (POR) / N. Morais (POR) – Can-Am 55:09
2. J. Krisstoffersson (SWE) / O. Floene (NOR) – Polaris +00:14
3. J. Gonzalez Ferioli (ARG) / G. Rinaldi (ARG) – Can-Am +00:20
5. F. López (CHI) / A. León (CHI) – Can-Am +01:37
Dakar Rally final standings
ULTIMATE – Top 5 plus selected
1. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – Dacia 48:56:53
2. N. Roma (ESP) / A. Haro (ESP) – Ford +09:42
3. M. Ekström (SWE) / E. Bergvist (SWE) – Ford +14:33
4. S. Loeb (FRA) / É. Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia +15:10
5. C. Sainz (ESP) / L. Cruz (ESP) – Ford +28:30
7. L. Moraes (BRA) / D. Zenz (GER) – Dacia +47:50
8. T. Price (AUS) / A. Monleón (ESP) – Toyota +52:07
9. S. Quintero (USA) / A. Short (USA) – Toyota +01:15:02…
11. C. Gutiérrez (ESP) / P. Moreno (ESP) – Dacia +01:29:49
12. M. Guthrie Jr. (USA) / K. Walch (USA) – Ford +01:37:25…
20. L. Sanz (ESP) / M. Gerini (ITA) – Ebro +03:31:09…
21. H. Lategan (ZAF) / B. Cummings (ZAF) – Toyota +03:57:45…
32. G. De Mévius (BEL) / M. Baumel (FRA) – MINI +08:11:21…
BIKE RallyGP – Top 5 plus selected
1. L. Benavides (ARG) – KTM 49:00:41
2. R. Brabec (USA) – Honda +00:02
3. T. Schareina (ESP) – Honda +25:12
4. S. Howes (USA) – Honda +56:41
5. D. Sanders (AUS) – KTM +01:03:15…
11. E. Canet (ESP) – KTM +12:09:57…
STOCK – Top 5
1. R. Baciuška (LTU) / O. Vidal (ESP) – Defender 58:09:45
2. S. Price (USA) S. Berriman (USA) / – Defender +03:58:00
3. R. Basso (FRA) / J Menard (FRA) – Toyota +08:34:29
4. S. Peterhansel (FRA) / M. Metge (FRA) – Defender +38:16:10
5. A. Miura (JPN) / J. Polato (FRA) – Toyota +87:42:59
CHALLENGER – Top 5 plus selectred
1. P. Navarro (ESP) / J. Rosa (ESP) – Taurus 54:46:21
2. Y. Seaidan (KSA) / X. Flick (FRA) – Taurus +23:22
3. N. Cavigliasso (ARG) / V. Pertegarini (ARG) – Taurus +35:52
4. L. Del Rio (CHI) / B. Jacomy (ARG) – Taurus +37:09
5. P. Klaassen (NED) / A. Sanz (ARG) – KTM +54:12
7. K. Benavides (ARG) / L. Sisterna (ARG) – Taurus +02:32:50
8. D. Akeel (KSA) / S. Delaunay (FRA) – Taurus +02:36:05…
SSV – Top 5 plus selected
1. B. Heger (USA) / M.Eddy (USA) – Polaris 55:11:56
2. K. Chaney (USA) / J. Argubright (USA) – Can-Am +01:39
3. X. De Soultrait (FRA) / M. Bonnet (FRA) – Polaris +01:25:25
4. J. Monteiro (POR) / N. Morais (POR) – Can-Am +02:27:25
5. J. Gonzalez Ferioli (ARG) / G. Rinaldi (ARG) – Can-Am +02:50:44
6. F. López (CHI) / A. León (CHI) – Can-Am +02:58:54
8. J. Krisstoffersson (SWE) / O. Floene (NOR) – Polaris +04:00:24…
QUOTES
Luciano Benavides: « I cannot believe it! I never stopped dreaming. To win by just two seconds is unreal. I woke up today full of motivation and energy, trusting myself to do what I can. That’s the key to success at the Dakar. My brother Kevin won by 43 seconds in 2023 and that was the closest finish ever. Now I’ve won by two seconds. Two seconds after two weeks and over 8,000km is hard to believe. This is the best moment of my life. I’m feeling on top of the world. »
Daniel Sanders: « I’m just happy to make it to the finish line. I’m in a lot of pain. I’ll head to the hospital when I get home to Australia and get it all checked out. I’m so happy for the team and Luciano. That’s the Dakar, it’s never over until it’s over. We spoke about it last night, anything can happen. At the finish I was in so much pain I just wanted to lie down. Then they told me Luciano had won so I rushed over to congratulate him. »
Edgar Canet: « This was a completely crazy race for me. These two weeks were full of ups and downs. I won three stages and Luciano won the overall. I’m super happy for him. I’m happy for all the KTM family. We show all the time that we have the fastest bike in the desert. We’re full of motivation to keep working and fighting. »
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « From the start we believed we could win this race. We started from zero with this Dacia project and we’ve developed the car so much. Now we’ve won the Dakar. Thank you to my co-driver Fabian and thank you to the team. I’m so happy to win the Dakar for the sixth time. »
Nani Roma: « Yesterday I broke a wheel 50 metres before the end of the special, but we kept believing in our chances and here we are today, in second place. I only have words of gratitude for my team. You have to congratulate Nasser for pulling it off, but also Mattias, because with two Fords on the podium, we’re coming back for more next year. »
Mattias Ekström: « I’m pleased with the podium, but we come here to win. The first lesson is that I have to come back even better prepared because the level at the front is extremely high. This sport is becoming more like circuit racing, it comes down to the smallest details. »
Carlos Sainz: « I’m happy with our rally except the one day that we lost all our chances to win. The rest of days I was in the fight, but to lose 45 minutes on one day is a lot at this race. I’m not happy about that, but overall the speed of the car was good and the team is going in the right direction. »
Mitch Guthrie Jr.: « It was a good Dakar for us, but it wasn’t great. We’re not on the top of the podium and that’s where we want to be. It’s only my second year of Ultimate class so to get a stage win and be up there fighting every day feels great. We were right there in the fight until our issue on Stage 9. »
Sébastien Loeb: « At the end we finished fourth overall so it was not a bad rally. It was a victory for Dacia so that was the goal. Maybe I could have done better than fourth, but the win would have been difficult because Nasser did an incredible job. »
Lucas Moraes: « It’s amazing to finish the Dakar. I’m really happy for Nasser and our Dacia Sandriders team. It’s a great result for the team. It was an up and down rally for us. Thank you to all of Brazil for the support, it means a lot to me. We’ll try again next year. »
Cristina Gutiérrez: « I think the team deserve this victory after a long year for us. Our Dacia team is a big family. The victory is a result of two years of hard work. We’re proud of the work we’ve done. »
Henk Lategan: « It’s been a frustrating Dakar for us. After each bad day we’d motivate ourselves to get going again on the next stage. Most of the days were down, but there were some really good days that we made it back up. It was unbelievable that we were still fighting for the win when that wheel bearing failed. It still stings a little bit to be right up there and then drop out of it. »
Toby Price: « I set a goal to be Top 10 so I’m stoked to get eighth. Sure, to win would be the ultimate goal, but racing against all these guys who have got so much experience it’s a tall order. I’m really happy with my rally and a big thanks to the team for fixing up the car each night. »
Seth Quintero: « Sometimes Dakar doesn’t roll your way and it wasn’t our year this time. I think Henk, Toby and myself have shown a lot of speed. We’ll go testing in a couple of weeks to get ourselves prepared for Portugal. »
Laia Sanz: « I think it’s been a good first Dakar for the Ebro project. The car was amazing and we learned at lot during the rally. We know what we need to improve, for myself and for the car. I can’t wait to come back here and be a bit closer to the front. »
Guillaume De Mévius: « Unfortunately we’re a little disappointed with our last day because we had another issue with the car. It’s been a nice and crazy story for Mathieu to be back. I’m really happy to have lived that with him. So it’s been a frustrating Dakar, but also a happy one. »
Rokas Baciuška: « It’s amazing for Defender to come here and win in their first year. I had a big opportunity to win the Stock category. This is my fifth Dakar and I’m bringing home the win. The team did a big job and missed out on a lot of sleep. »
Stéphane Peterhansel: « This Dakar was a nice adventure. It was a little bit different to what I knew in the past, but it’s been super nice to do something new. The spirit in the team is really great. The rally has been a rollercoaster and I’m taking away a lot of good memories. »
Kevin Benavides: « It’s an historic day for our family and an historic day for the Dakar. I’m so proud of my brother Luciano. I was not with him on the bikes this year as I raced in the Challenger class. It was a tough start to life on four wheels in the first week, but we didn’t give up. The second week was much better for us and I’m learning with every kilometre I drive. »
Dania Akeel: » We made it to the finish line which is the most important thing you can do at the Dakar. We set ourselves the target of finishing inside the Top 3 on every stage. I had one too many punctures on Stage 3 and that put me back. Flying over the dunes and passing cars is something that I could never have seen myself doing, but with hard work and support we could do it. »
Johan Kristoffersson: « That’s my first Dakar finished. It’s been two very eventful weeks. It started off really tough and from there we got up to a better road position. Then it started getting really enjoyable. I made some mistakes and also learned a lot. »
Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López: « The 2026 Dakar Rally has been a super tough one. It was very fast-paced and there were lots of dangerous rocks on many stages. There was also lots of dust, but we enjoyed ourselves. I thank my team and family for helping me to reach the finish line. »
Christine Fial,