[{"id":14841,"permalink":"https:\/\/dirtsportsworld.com\/2026\/01\/14\/dakar-rally-leaderboard-update\/","title":"Dakar Rally: Leaderboard Update","content":"With four punishing stages still to go, the 2026 Dakar Rally has delivered another round of chaos, heroics and strategy through Stage 9\u2019s grueling marathon segment. Navigation errors, mechanical misfortune and opportunistic rides have reshaped the battle for glory across bike, car and truck categories and the leaderboard now paints an unpredictable picture of who could ultimately stand atop the sands of Saudi Arabia.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_14844\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"640\"]\"\" Ricky Brabec sits six minutes behind leader Daniel Sanders. Photo: A.S.O.\/Jennifer Lindini[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe bikes category once again proved to be a tactical war as riders confronted a demanding 418-km special toward Bisha. Spaniard Tosha Schareina seized the Stage 9 win. Daniel Sanders who claimed the provisional overall lead after finishing solidly second on the stage, clawing back time and inheriting the top spot thanks to consistent pacing and resilience through the marathon. KTM rider Sanders now leads Honda\u2019s Ricky Brabec by roughly 6 min 24 sec, with KTM\u2019s Luciano Benavides a handful of minutes further back in third.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_14846\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"640\"]\"\" Nani Roma has the overall rally lead in the car class. Photo: a.s.o.\/a.vincent\/dppi[\/caption]\r\n\r\nStage 9 was nothing short of a roller coaster in the cars class. Navigation errors and slips from favorites like Nasser Al-Attiyah handed the advantage to Ford\u2019s Nani Roma, who surged to the overall lead with a performance that combined aggression with calculated risk management.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_14848\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"640\"]\"\" Brock Heger has a commanding lead in the SSV Class at the Dakar Rally. Photo: A.S.O.\/J.Delfosse\/DPPI[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe battle for supremacy in the SSV category at the 2026 Dakar Rally intensified. Brock Heger continued his commanding run as he continues lead the class. Portugal\u2019s Gon\u00e7alo Guerreiro remained firmly in contention, finishing near the front on Stage 9 to hold onto second overall. The Polaris driver has matched Heger\u2019s pace on multiple occasions during the rally, keeping the pressure on as the final stages loom.","excerpt":"

With four punishing stages still to go, the 2026 Dakar Rally has delivered another round of chaos, heroics and strategy …<\/p>","date":"January 14, 2026 18:26","categories":[{"id":25047612,"title":"News","slug":"news"},{"id":25047953,"title":"Rally","slug":"rally"}],"tags":[{"id":25049825,"title":"2026 Dakar Rally","slug":"2026-dakar-rally"},{"id":25049739,"title":"Bisha","slug":"bisha"},{"id":25047900,"title":"brock heger","slug":"brock-heger"},{"id":25047642,"title":"Dakar Rally","slug":"dakar-rally"},{"id":25048585,"title":"daniel sanders","slug":"daniel-sanders"},{"id":25049086,"title":"luciano benavides","slug":"luciano-benavides"},{"id":25049611,"title":"Nani Roma","slug":"nani-roma"},{"id":25047641,"title":"Ricky Brabec","slug":"ricky-brabec"},{"id":25047646,"title":"saudi arabia","slug":"saudi-arabia"},{"id":25047955,"title":"ssv","slug":"ssv"},{"id":25049836,"title":"Tosha Shareina","slug":"tosha-shareina"}]},{"id":14769,"permalink":"https:\/\/dirtsportsworld.com\/2026\/01\/06\/dakar-rally-stage-2-victories-for-team-usa\/","title":"Dakar Rally Stage 2: Victories for Team USA","content":"The 2026 Dakar Rally continued on Stage 2 with a demanding test through rocky desert terrain, as competitors battled extreme conditions and long distances in the early fight for overall position. With much of the rally still ahead, Stage 2 rewarded controlled speed and accurate navigation while punishing even small mistakes.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_14771\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"640\"]\"\" Daniel Sanders rode to a Stage 2 win at the Dakar Rally. Photo: A.S.O[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe motorcycle category delivered another tightly contested stage, with factory riders again dominating the front of the field. Stage winner Daniel Sanders set a strong pace throughout the special, while several overall contenders chose a measured approach to avoid opening future stages. Stage 1 winner Edgar Canet finished second and Ricky Brabec third.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_14773\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"640\"]\"\" Seth Quintero claimed his first win for 2026 in the car class during Stage 2. Photo: A.S.O.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIn the car category, a fast and clean run proved decisive as leading teams traded fastest sector times across the stage. Toyota\u2019s strength was evident at the front with Seth Quintero taking a big Stage 2 win. His teammate Henk Lategan also joined him on the podium in second. Completing the Toyota sweep was Yazeed Al-Rajhi.\r\n\r\nIn SSV, experience and consistency paid off on the rough Stage 2 route. Several crews lost time to mechanical issues, while the leaders managed the terrain effectively to build an early advantage including Brock Heger who claimed today\u2019s win. Francisco \u201cChaleco\u201d L\u00f3pez finished second and Xavier de Soultrait was third.","excerpt":"

The 2026 Dakar Rally continued on Stage 2 with a demanding test through rocky desert terrain, as competitors battled extreme …<\/p>","date":"January 6, 2026 00:21","categories":[{"id":25047612,"title":"News","slug":"news"},{"id":25047953,"title":"Rally","slug":"rally"}],"tags":[{"id":25049825,"title":"2026 Dakar Rally","slug":"2026-dakar-rally"},{"id":25047900,"title":"brock heger","slug":"brock-heger"},{"id":25047642,"title":"Dakar Rally","slug":"dakar-rally"},{"id":25049829,"title":"Dakar Stage 2","slug":"dakar-stage-2"},{"id":25048585,"title":"daniel sanders","slug":"daniel-sanders"},{"id":25047641,"title":"Ricky Brabec","slug":"ricky-brabec"},{"id":25047646,"title":"saudi arabia","slug":"saudi-arabia"},{"id":25047961,"title":"seth quintero","slug":"seth-quintero"}]},{"id":14742,"permalink":"https:\/\/dirtsportsworld.com\/2026\/01\/03\/2026-dakar-rally-underway-with-prologue\/","title":"2026 Dakar Rally Underway with Prologue","content":"Opening day for the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia began with the much-anticipated prologue. The Rally began at Yanbu with a 41km liason before reaching the 22km timed prologue stage. Terrain included a loop with high speeds and rock-littered tracks. Stage 1 of the Rally will begin from Yanbu early Sunday morning. Terrain will include sandy dunes and plenty of rocky terrain. It finishes fifteen days later along the Red Sea.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_14744\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"\" Ricky Brabec has two overall Dakar Rally wins and is looking for a third this year. Photo: Monster Energy Honda HRC[\/caption]\r\n\r\nRicky Brabec has won the Rally twice and is looking for a third overall win. Brabec finished Saturday\u2019s Prologue in third place putting the Honda HRC team on the map. Skyler Howes is also riding for the Honda HRC team. Howes finished eighth in the Prologue. Spain\u2019s Edgar Canet won the day for the KTM Factory Racing team.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_14745\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"640\"]\"\" Rising star Seth Quintero, who earned his first W2RC podium finish and a top-10 result at the 2025 Dakar, will drive the #203 Hilux with navigator Andrew Short. Photo: Toyota Gazoo Racing[\/caption]\r\n\r\nSeth Quintero is also at the Dakar Rally competing with the Toyota Gazoo racing team. \u00a0\u201cI feel confident, motivated and ready to race. I have a different feeling just because of the work TGR W2RC has put into the car and into me. I\u2019m very excited to get behind the wheel of the new DKR GR Hilux and explore new possibilities. I\u2019ve already seen the speed from testing, and it is confidence inspiring. We\u2019ve got an amazing team with amazing team-mates. I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll be fighting with each other at the front, but we are good friends, so it\u2019s going to be fun,\u201d said Quintero.\u00a0 Quintero will race across 5,000 miles of Saudi Arabia\u2019s most grueling terrain.","excerpt":"

Opening day for the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia began with the much-anticipated prologue. The Rally began at Yanbu …<\/p>","date":"January 3, 2026 11:45","categories":[{"id":25047612,"title":"News","slug":"news"},{"id":25047953,"title":"Rally","slug":"rally"}],"tags":[{"id":25049825,"title":"2026 Dakar Rally","slug":"2026-dakar-rally"},{"id":25047642,"title":"Dakar Rally","slug":"dakar-rally"},{"id":25049827,"title":"Monster Energy Honda HRC","slug":"monster-energy-honda-hrc"},{"id":25047641,"title":"Ricky Brabec","slug":"ricky-brabec"},{"id":25047646,"title":"saudi arabia","slug":"saudi-arabia"},{"id":25047961,"title":"seth quintero","slug":"seth-quintero"},{"id":25047967,"title":"skyler howes","slug":"skyler-howes"},{"id":25049066,"title":"Toyota Hilux","slug":"toyota-hilux"},{"id":25049826,"title":"Yanbu","slug":"yanbu"}]}]{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1", "user_comment": "This feed allows you to read the posts from this site in any feed reader that supports the JSON Feed format. To add this feed to your reader, copy the following URL -- https://dirtsportsworld.com/tag/2026-dakar-rally/feed/json/ -- and add it your reader.", "home_page_url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/tag/2026-dakar-rally/", "feed_url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/tag/2026-dakar-rally/feed/json/", "language": "en-US", "title": "2026 Dakar Rally Archives - DirtSportsWorld", "description": "The Voice of Off-Road Motorsports", "icon": "https://i0.wp.com/dirtsportsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/cropped-DSW-Web-Icon.png?fit=59%2C59&ssl=1", "items": [ { "id": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/?p=14841", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/2026/01/14/dakar-rally-leaderboard-update/", "title": "Dakar Rally: Leaderboard Update", "content_html": "

With four punishing stages still to go, the 2026 Dakar Rally has delivered another round of chaos, heroics and strategy …

The post Dakar Rally: Leaderboard Update appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.

\n", "content_text": "With four punishing stages still to go, the 2026 Dakar Rally has delivered another round of chaos, heroics and strategy …The post Dakar Rally: Leaderboard Update appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.", "date_published": "2026-01-14T18:26:44-08:00", "date_modified": "2026-01-14T18:26:44-08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "tags": [ "2026 Dakar Rally", "Bisha", "brock heger", "Dakar Rally", "daniel sanders", "luciano benavides", "Nani Roma", "Ricky Brabec", "saudi arabia", "ssv", "Tosha Shareina", "News", "Rally" ] }, { "id": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/?p=14769", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/2026/01/06/dakar-rally-stage-2-victories-for-team-usa/", "title": "Dakar Rally Stage 2: Victories for Team USA", "content_html": "

The 2026 Dakar Rally continued on Stage 2 with a demanding test through rocky desert terrain, as competitors battled extreme …

The post Dakar Rally Stage 2: Victories for Team USA appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.

\n", "content_text": "The 2026 Dakar Rally continued on Stage 2 with a demanding test through rocky desert terrain, as competitors battled extreme …The post Dakar Rally Stage 2: Victories for Team USA appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.", "date_published": "2026-01-06T00:21:56-08:00", "date_modified": "2026-01-06T00:21:56-08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "tags": [ "2026 Dakar Rally", "brock heger", "Dakar Rally", "Dakar Stage 2", "daniel sanders", "Ricky Brabec", "saudi arabia", "seth quintero", "News", "Rally" ] }, { "id": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/?p=14742", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/2026/01/03/2026-dakar-rally-underway-with-prologue/", "title": "2026 Dakar Rally Underway with Prologue", "content_html": "

Opening day for the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia began with the much-anticipated prologue. The Rally began at Yanbu …

The post 2026 Dakar Rally Underway with Prologue appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.

\n", "content_text": "Opening day for the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia began with the much-anticipated prologue. The Rally began at Yanbu …The post 2026 Dakar Rally Underway with Prologue appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.", "date_published": "2026-01-03T11:45:02-08:00", "date_modified": "2026-01-03T11:45:02-08:00", "authors": [ { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" } ], "author": { "name": "DirtSportsWorld Staff", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/author/dirtsportsworld/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4817be88e351e2814fd215f4b782a136e8119efccfc1eafde273c56619cf08f5?s=512&d=identicon&r=g" }, "tags": [ "2026 Dakar Rally", "Dakar Rally", "Monster Energy Honda HRC", "Ricky Brabec", "saudi arabia", "seth quintero", "skyler howes", "Toyota Hilux", "Yanbu", "News", "Rally" ] } ] }