YANBU, SAUDI ARABIA – After 14 days of relentless torment across the most unforgiving terrain on Earth, the 48th Dakar Rally has reached its crescendo on the shores of the Red Sea. This was not merely a race; it was an 8,000-kilometer odyssey that broke machines and tested the very limits of human sanity. As the dust settles over Yanbu today, January 17, 2026, the history books will record a shifting of the guard and the narrowest finish in the history of motorsport.
In the Ultimate (Car) category, the desert has a new king, though his face is a familiar one. Nasser Al-Attiyah has secured his sixth Dakar title, but this victory tastes different. It marks a monumental debut for the Dacia Sandriders, a project many dismissed as too ambitious for such a short development cycle. Al-Attiyah, the "Prince of the Desert," navigated the treacherous dunes of the Empty Quarter and the jagged canyons of Al-Bahah with a surgical precision that left his rivals chasing shadows. While others succumbed to mechanical failure or the Dakar’s infamous navigation traps, Al-Attiyah and the Sandrider remained an unstoppable force of nature, blending raw speed with the veteran poise that has defined his 20-year career.
However, the headline that will echo through the ages comes from the Motorcycle category. In a sport where hours usually separate the elite, the 2026 title was decided by a breathtaking two seconds. Luciano Benavides, the younger of the Argentine flying brothers, snatched the victory from the hands of Honda’s Ricky Brabec in the final seven kilometers of the rally. Brabec had led for much of the second week, but a momentary lapse in concentration at a hidden waypoint allowed Benavides to charge through the final dunes like a man possessed. It is a result that defies logic and cements Luciano’s place alongside his brother Kevin as a Dakar legend.
The battle for the podium was a showcase of pure grit. In the cars, Nani Roma proved that age is just a number, bringing the Ford Raptor home in second place to secure a historic double-podium for the American manufacturer alongside Mattias Ekström. In the bikes, the story of the rally was Daniel Sanders, who rode into Yanbu with a broken collarbone sustained just three days ago, remarkably finishing fifth. This 2026 edition returned to the roots of the rally—emphasizing endurance and navigation over flat-out sprinting—and in doing so, reminded us why the Dakar remains the "Everest of Motorsports."
FINAL OVERALL CLASSIFICATION: CARS (ULTIMATE)
- Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) | Dacia Sandriders | 48h 56' 53''
- Nani Roma (ESP) | Ford M-Sport | + 00h 09' 42''
- Mattias Ekström (SWE) | Ford M-Sport | + 00h 15' 20''
- Lucas Moraes (BRA) | Toyota Gazoo Racing | + 00h 45' 11''
- Seth Quintero (USA) | Toyota Gazoo Racing | + 01h 02' 03''
FINAL OVERALL CLASSIFICATION: MOTORCYCLES
- Luciano Benavides (ARG) | Red Bull KTM | 49h 00' 41''
- Ricky Brabec (USA) | Monster Energy Honda | + 00h 00' 02''
- Tosha Schareina (ESP) | Monster Energy Honda | + 00h 25' 12''
- Skyler Howes (USA) | Monster Energy Honda | + 00h 56' 41''
- Daniel Sanders (AUS) | Red Bull KTM | + 01h 03' 15''
Report: Neil McDaid
