Dakar 2026: Al Attiyah seals 6th title, Benavides wins after Brabec error

In stark contrast, the motorbike title was decided in the final kilometres of the final stage, where Luciano Benavides overturned a 3m02s deficit to beat Ricky Brabec by just 2 seconds, the smallest winning margin in Dakar history.

Al Attiyah wrapped up the car victory on the 13th and final stage, a flat-out 105 km sprint along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia, safely managing his advantage to add another chapter to his Dakar legacy. Hours later, the motorcycle standings were rewritten by a single navigation error, reinforcing the rally’s reputation for punishing even the smallest lapse.

From the opening week, Al Attiyah set the tone in the Ultimate category with a campaign built around strategic restraint and decisive execution. Key moments through the deep dunes of stage 6 and the subsequent marathon stages allowed the Qatari to establish a buffer without ever overextending, neutralising an exceptionally competitive field.

After the finish in Yanbu, Al Attiyah reflected on the measured nature of his victory: “We worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win. I think we made the difference on the second day of the first marathon stage by building up a twelve-minute lead. This is my sixth victory, and I still need to break Peterhansel’s record.”

The win also marked Al Attiyah’s 50th career Dakar stage victory, placing him alongside Ari Vatanen and Stéphane Peterhansel in the all-time record books. Earlier in the closing stages, he underlined the fine margins involved, saying: “You could lose everything today, but we did a good job. There’s one day to go and we need to be smart and focused.”

Behind him, the fight for the remaining podium places remained fluid until the final days. Toyota’s Henk Lategan briefly threatened before a rear wheel hub failure on stage 11 ended his challenge. Ford capitalised, with Nani Roma producing a late recovery to secure second overall, despite nursing a damaged car into Yanbu. Mattias Ekström completed the podium after holding off Sébastien Loeb by just 29 seconds, finishing his Dakar with a stage win in Yanbu. Loeb ended fourth overall, missing the podium for the first time in his Dakar career.

If the car race was defined by control, the motorbike category delivered unfiltered Dakar drama. Early dominance from Daniel Sanders and Tosha Schareina was undone by penalties and injury, reshaping the rally into a head-to-head fight between Brabec and Benavides. Sanders’ crash and shoulder injury ended his title defence, leaving Honda and KTM to settle the outcome on the road.

Brabec entered the final stage with a 3-minute 20-second advantage and continued to build his cushion through time bonuses for opening the road. Although Benavides was faster in real time, the American appeared firmly in control as the kilometres counted down.

That certainty collapsed just 7 km from the finish. Brabec took a wrong turn while leading, looping off course. Benavides stayed on line, briefly slowing when he saw a headlight turn back before realising it was his rival. The Argentinian pushed to the line, finishing second on the stage behind teammate Edgar Canet, while Brabec arrived 3 minutes 22 seconds later.

“I saw the opportunity and I took it,” Benavides said. “I felt ready all day. I told everyone at the start of the stage ‘This Dakar is for me.’”

Still processing the outcome, he added: “I still can’t believe it. To win by just two seconds is unbelievable. This is my ninth Dakar, and it shows that if you never stop dreaming and keep fighting, anything is possible.”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing erupted at the finish as Benavides was lifted onto the shoulders of his team, securing the brand’s 21st Dakar motorcycle victory. The result was even tighter than the 2023 edition, when his brother Kevin overturned the standings on the final day to win by 43 seconds.

In the Challenger category, Pau Navarro claimed overall victory through relentless consistency, proving once again that Dakar rewards survival as much as speed. The Spaniard did not win a single stage but finished 23 minutes clear of Yasir Seaidan to become the second Spanish winner in the class, following Cristina Gutiérrez. Nicolás Cavigliasso completed the podium after a late recovery drive that included two stage wins.

The SSV category was dominated by Brock Heger. The American defended his title in emphatic fashion, winning six stages and finishing more than an hour ahead. Polaris secured a third consecutive Dakar victory in the class, with Kyle Chaney second on his debut and Xavier de Soultrait completing the podium.

The truck race produced another breakthrough, as Vaidotas Zala became the first Lithuanian to win the Dakar trucks category. He resisted sustained pressure from Ales Loprais to secure victory by just over 20 minutes, with Mitch van den Brink completing the podium after losing significant time to a broken drive shaft earlier in the rally. Defending champion Martin Macik endured a difficult campaign and finished fourth.

In Dakar Classic, Karolis Raisys controlled the event from start to finish in his Land Rover Series III, leading for ten days and capitalising on the misfortunes of his rivals to secure overall victory. Defender ended Toyota’s recent dominance in the category.

Across all classes, 246 vehicles reached the finish in Yanbu from 317 starters. From Al Attiyah’s calculated perfection to Benavides’ last gasp miracle, Dakar 2026 once again proved its defining truth: nothing is ever decided until the final kilometre.