Pure drama to the finish line: tension, emotion, and a split-second outcome.
Yanbu, KSA – January 17, 2026: After two weeks off 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 debut.
Luciano Benavides started the final stage trailing bike race leader Ricky Brabec by 3m20s. It looked 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.
“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 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. Al-Attiyah gives Dacia it’s first Dakar win, adding to his victories 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
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 both playing catchup 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 it’s a tall order.” – Toby Price
One of the storylines at this Dakar that captured the entire bivouac was the return of Mathieu Baumel. The four-time Dakar champion had his right leg amputated less than 12 months ago due to 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 Baciuška. 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
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
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.
DAKAR RALLY FINAL STANDING
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 selected
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
AVAILABLE CONTENT
(free content for editorial use – no restrictions)
– News Cuts (Jan 17, 10 & 03) in 16:9 and “daily” Social News Clips in 9:16 (English/clean), featuring key action, finish line and interviews always with shot list, transcript, and media information.
MI and SI assets via: RED BULL CONTENT POOL
Contact: Fabian Ress
fabian.ress@3mpg.ch / +49 173 248 8404
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Images free of charge for editorial use.
Credit: Red Bull Content Pool