2026 Dakar Preview: Expect another epic battle in Saudi Arabia

With more than 8,000 kilometres ahead before the finish back in Yanbu on 17 January, the Dakar once again promises a fortnight of attrition, precision and survival across Saudi Arabia.

Title holder Yazeed Al Rajhi and his Toyota Hilux were among those called to scrutineering early, but attention has quickly shifted to the broader cast assembling for the prologue. From the early hours, the bivouac has been a procession of champions, title contenders and ambitious newcomers.

Nicolas Cavigliasso, Challenger class winner in the last Dakar and W2RC champion in 2025, arrived with co-driver and wife Valentina Pertegarini, followed shortly by truck race benchmark Martin Macik, who is targeting a third consecutive Dakar victory, a feat rarely achieved in the event’s history.

The atmosphere remains cordial for now, but this is merely the calm before the storm. The 22-kilometre prologue loop will not count towards the overall times for FIA crews, but it will determine starting order and, for the bikes, the clock will already be running in earnest. From that moment on, there will be nowhere to hide.

If there is a single narrative dominating the build-up to Dakar 2026, it is the concerted attempt to dethrone Al Rajhi and Toyota. Two manufacturers that have only recently joined rally raid at the sharp end are now fielding line-ups strong enough to challenge the established order.

The Dacia Sandriders arrive with a formidable trio. Sebastien Loeb is back for a tenth attempt at conquering the one major trophy missing from his career. Nasser Al Attiyah, five-time Dakar winner, is chasing another chapter in his remarkable record. Alongside them stands Lucas Moraes, the reigning W2RC champion, wearing new colours and carrying growing expectations after finishing third on his Dakar debut in 2023.

Their most anticipated rivals will appear later in the day behind the wheel of Ford Raptors. Former winners Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma are joined once again by Mattias Ekstrom, who delivered Ford’s best result in 2025 with third place, and Mitch Guthrie. On paper, the depth on both sides matches Toyota’s strength driver for driver, setting the stage for a genuine multi-manufacturer battle.

For Loeb, recent form suggests this could finally be his year. After a sequence of podium finishes in the W2RC season, capped by victory at the Rallye du Maroc, the Frenchman arrives with momentum but no illusions. “In recent races, I managed to drive at the right pace and chose the right moments to attack,” he admitted. “That said, we won by a whisker. There was hardly anything in it. Our competitors are hot on our heels. By going on all out attack in Morocco, we all ended up with almost the same times, which means that it’s very open.”

Al Attiyah, meanwhile, has made his priorities unmistakably clear. The Qatari has stepped away from the world shooting championships taking place in Doha to focus entirely on Dakar glory. “It is still my dream to win the Dakar,” he said. “The competition is tough and we are happy to have this challenge. I’m continuing to improve. I’m more experienced and I still feel good on all kinds of terrain, both on sandy and rocky tracks.”

Moraes completes the Sandriders line up, and while this will be his first competitive outing in the Dacia, his objectives are measured rather than cautious. “I hope that we can keep going steady and put on a good fight in the second week,” he said, aware that Dakar success is often decided long after early favourites have fallen away.

Across the paddock, Ford’s camp exudes quiet confidence rather than bravado. The American manufacturer may not have lifted the trophy yet in this era, but the experience within its driver roster is unquestionable. Between Sainz and Roma alone, there are five Dakar wins, matching the tally of Al Attiyah by himself.

Sainz, who exited last year’s event early, is under no illusions about the scale of the task. “The Dacias were already on a good level last year,” he said. “I think also last year we were not too bad but probably this year, the Dacias are better, we are better and Toyota are also better. I think it’s very, very tight. We saw that already in Morocco. I think at least twelve drivers can win the race.”

That depth of competition is precisely what defines modern Dakar. Roma, a former winner himself, knows better than most how quickly expectations can unravel. “I remember when I was title holder in 2015, I had to drop out after just three kilometres of the first special due to my engine blowing, which should have never happened,” he recalled. “As a result, my experience helps me to approach the race with peace of mind and be wary of any predictions.”

In a rally where a single navigation error or mechanical failure can erase months of preparation, such caution is not pessimism. It is survival instinct.

In the bike category, the script is familiar but far from settled. Daniel Sanders arrives as defending Dakar champion and W2RC title holder, carrying the number 1 plate for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Last year, he controlled the event from the opening prologue through to Shubaytah, but he expects a far harder fight this time.

“I think it’s going to be a race right up to the finishing line,” Sanders said. “It looks like it’s going to get harder as the race goes on. The most consistent rider is going to be there all the time, not have a bad day, is going to be up the front and we’ve got many days to do this this year.”

Within KTM, Sanders is supported by Edgar Canet, who finished eighth in 2025, and former world champion Luciano Benavides. Both provide depth and insurance, but the primary threat once again comes from Monster Energy Honda HRC.

Tosha Schareina, runner up to Sanders in the Dakar and W2RC standings last season, has emerged as Spain’s most promising Dakar contender since Marc Coma. Now heading into his fifth Dakar, he is embracing the pressure rather than deflecting it. “It’s a privileged situation for me,” Schareina said. “Everyone is looking to me for the victory. I like this pressure. We have been preparing for the Dakar all year, so we are motivated and ready.”

Honda’s strength does not end there. Ricky Brabec remains the team’s only Dakar winner in the Saudi era, while Adrien Van Beveren arrives fresh from a third place finish in 2025 and believes experience may yet tilt the balance. “Naturally, I’m dreaming about winning, I can’t wait to get started,” Van Beveren said. “I would tend to say that Sanders is very strong, as well as Tosha. The pressure is on them because they have shown they were the best riders by winning all the races in the season. However, on the Dakar, the key is to not focus on the others but to concentrate on what you are capable of doing yourself, which is something else that experience has taught me.”

With the KTM Honda scoreline tied at 3–3 during the Saudi era, Dakar 2026 feels poised to break the deadlock.

Beyond the headline categories, the depth of competition remains just as compelling. In the truck race, Martin Macik is chasing a third consecutive victory, but the Czech driver faces serious opposition from Mitchel van den Brink and fellow countryman Ales Loprais, both of whom stood with him on the 2025 podium.

In the Challenger class, Nicolas Cavigliasso returns as defending champion but with a markedly different approach. The Argentine has isolated himself within his own Vertical Motorsport structure, retaining only his trusted technician and mechanic while building an independent parts supply. It is a strategy designed for control rather than comfort, but two Saudi drivers, Dania Akeel and Yasir Seaidan, could disrupt his plans, as could fellow Argentine David Zille.

The SSV category promises another pitched battle between Polaris and Can Am. Polaris arrives with five highly developed machines, led by defending champion Brock Heger and former winner Xavier de Soultrait, alongside rallycross legend Johan Kristoffersson, who is taking his first serious steps in rally raid. Can Am counters with a nine car Maverick R presence across three teams, featuring Chaleco Lopez and Manuel Andujar, the latter a former quad winner looking to extend his Dakar versatility.

As ever, the Dakar also marks the opening summit of the W2RC season. At a press conference held beneath a traditional Saudi tent, series director David Castera outlined the championship’s expanding reach. “I am proud of the calendar developed for 2026 but also delighted to receive an increasing amount of applications from competitors as well as bids from host countries such as Chile, Italy or China,” he said. “This demonstrates the quality and potential of this championship, which will help us to continue expanding the discipline all together.”

The calendar will again span continents, from Portugal in March to Argentina in May, Morocco in September and Abu Dhabi in November, reinforcing Dakar’s status as the spiritual and competitive summit of the discipline.

Alongside the modern machinery, Dakar Classic continues to grow in stature. Now entering its sixth edition, the category brings historic vehicles back into the heart of the rally, prioritising consistency over outright speed. Castera emphasised the importance of this strand, noting the “importance and scale” it has achieved and the unique privilege afforded to its competitors to travel through wonderful places that not even the Dakar itself can visit.

As scrutineering gives way to competition, the familiar Dakar truth reasserts itself. Form counts. Preparation matters. Experience helps. But once the prologue is complete and the vast Saudi landscape opens up, the rally will decide its own hierarchy. In that uncertainty lies the enduring appeal of the Dakar, and the promise that 2026 will be another epic chapter in its history.

Editor's Note: While Formula 1 slumbers, GRANDPRIX237 will, as per tradition, provide daily the first major FIA-sanctioned motor racing event of the 2026 international season, aka the Dakar Rally.