Here is the stage 1 summary from Dakar Rally 2026 (held Sunday, 4 January 2026, in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia): 🏁 Overview – Stage 1: Yanbu → Yanb...
Here is the stage 1 summary from Dakar Rally 2026 (held Sunday, 4 January 2026, in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia):
🏁 Overview – Stage 1: Yanbu → Yanbu
Total distance: ~518 km, including a 305 km timed special stage and ~213 km liaison.
The route featured rocky gravel sections, fast tracks, and small dune fields, making for a demanding opener that tested navigation, speed, and endurance right away.
Moto Category
Top Performers
🥇 Edgar Canet (Spain) – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
🥈 Daniel Sanders (AUS) – KTM – ~+1:02 behind.
🥉 Ricky Brabec (USA) – Honda – ~+1:32 behind.
Key Notes
Won Stage 1 with a time of 3h 16m 11s, extending his overall Dakar lead after winning the prologue too.
Ross Branch (BOT) actually posted the fastest ride on the special, but a 6-minute speeding penalty dropped him out of the running.
Canet now leads the overall bike standings following Stage 1, consolidating his early advantage.
Cars Category
Top Results
🥇 Guillaume de Mévius (BEL) – X-raid Mini – Stage 1 winner.
🥈 Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) – Dacia Sandrider – ~40 s behind.
🥉 Martin Prokop (CZE) – Ford Raptor – 3rd place.
Defending champion Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA) had a rougher day, receiving 16 minutes in penalties (mostly for missing a waypoint and speeding), dropping him significantly down the standings.
Times were very close among top competitors, with strategy and caution playing a part as teams managed road opening duties and varying terrain.
Stock
🥇 Rokas Bacuiska (LTU) won the stock category in the Defender Rally.
🥈 Ronald Basso second in a Land Cruiser,
🥉 Akira Miura third, also in a Land Cruiser.
SSV (Side-by-Side Vehicles)
🥇 Xavier de Soultrait (FRA) won the SSV category.
🥈 Alexandre Pinto second,
🥉 Brock Heger third.
All top 3 on the leaderboard leading the Polaris to a 1-2-3 finish.
De Soultrait becomes the first leader in this class for 2026.
Trucks
🥇 Aleš Loprais (CZE) took the Truck category stage win with a time around 3 h 42 m.
🥈 Mitchel van den Brink (NED) finished ~1 min 47 s behind.
🥉 Martin Macík (CZE) (2025 winner) completed the podium.
Loprais’ day included a small time penalty, but he still prevailed.
Challenger Class
This class is for more lightly modified rally vehicles (FIA T3 type):
🥇 David Zille is credited with the stage win.
🥈 after a time penalty dropped Paul Spierings back
🥉 Nicolás Cavigliasso (defending class leader from 2025) finished third.
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