[{"id":14859,"permalink":"https:\/\/dirtsportsworld.com\/2026\/01\/17\/champions-decided-as-2026-dakar-rally-concludes-in-saudi-arabia\/","title":"Champions Decided as 2026 Dakar Rally Concludes in Saudi Arabia","content":"The 48th Dakar Rally is in the books. The rally covered almost 8,000 km of punishing desert terrain in Saudi Arabia, delivered heartbreak and triumph until the final kilometers of the rally. After 13 grueling stages, the champions were crowned in a whirlwind finish that fans won\u2019t soon forget.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_14861\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"640\"]\"\" Brock Heger secured his second consecutive Dakar title. Photo: A.S.O.\/J.Delfosse\/DPPI[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThe biggest story in the United States was Brock Heger claiming his second rally title. Heger dominated the class taking the early overall lead during the rally. The SSV category saw multiple Polaris RZR vehicles finish highly, with Polaris securing the top and third positions in the final standings.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_14863\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"640\"]\"\" Luciano Benavides beat Ricky Brabec by 2 minutes to win the overall Dakar motorcycle title. Photo: A.S.O.\/Jennifer Lindini[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIn what became one of the closest overall finishes in Dakar history, Argentina\u2019s Luciano Benavides clinched his first Dakar Rally motorcycle title by an astonishing two seconds, the narrowest margin ever in the bike category. Ricky Brabec started the day with a lead, but a late mistake allowed Benavides the victory. Tosha Schareina finished third.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_14865\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"640\"]\"\" Nasser Al-Attiyah adds a sixth Dakar Rally title to his resume. Photo: A.S.O.\/J.Delfosse\/DPPI[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIn the car category, veteran Qatari rally-raid legend Nasser Al-Attiyah secured his sixth Dakar Rally victory, adding another monumental chapter to his storied career. Driving for the Dacia Sandriders team which claimed its first overall Dakar win. Al-Attiyah maintained blazing consistency across two weeks of punishing speed sections, dunes, and rocky terrain. He finished the rally with a margin of nearly 10 minutes over his closest rival Nani Roma. Finishing third overall was Mattias Ekstr\u00f6m.","excerpt":"

The 48th Dakar Rally is in the books. The rally covered almost 8,000 km of punishing desert terrain in Saudi …<\/p>","date":"January 17, 2026 20:41","categories":[{"id":25047612,"title":"News","slug":"news"},{"id":25047953,"title":"Rally","slug":"rally"}],"tags":[{"id":25047900,"title":"brock heger","slug":"brock-heger"},{"id":25049813,"title":"Dakar 2026","slug":"dakar-2026"},{"id":25047642,"title":"Dakar Rally","slug":"dakar-rally"},{"id":25049086,"title":"luciano benavides","slug":"luciano-benavides"},{"id":25049611,"title":"Nani Roma","slug":"nani-roma"},{"id":25048662,"title":"nassar al-attiyah","slug":"nassar-al-attiyah"},{"id":25047968,"title":"nasser al-attiyah","slug":"nasser-al-attiyah"},{"id":25047641,"title":"Ricky Brabec","slug":"ricky-brabec"},{"id":25047646,"title":"saudi arabia","slug":"saudi-arabia"}]},{"id":6980,"permalink":"https:\/\/dirtsportsworld.com\/2023\/04\/29\/daniel-sanders-wins-2023-sonora-rally\/","title":"Daniel Sanders Wins 2023 Sonora Rally","content":"Red Bull GasGas Factory rider Daniel Sanders has won the overall victory at the 2023 Sonora Rally. This is the first year the rally was part of the FIM Rally-Raid World Championship. Sanders won a total of three special stage victories during the rally.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nSanders had a seven-minute lead going into the final day of competition By the 35-kilometer mark, Sanders was out front doing what he does best, cruising to a victory. \u00a0It\u2019s great to get my first rally win. It feels like it\u2019s been a long time coming \u2013 obviously after a year off it\u2019s great to be back where I want to be. Dakar\u2019s the big one but getting wins in the world championship is also super important. I\u2019ve had some bad luck with speed penalties and things like that in some events, so to finally get a world championship win means a lot to me. Also, I feel like I\u2019ve ridden well this event, leading out on several days, and generally having a good run through the event. Yeah, after a year out and then getting sick at Dakar, it\u2019s all heading in the right direction. I\u2019m improving still, and thanks to the team who always give me a great bike I feel like things are really coming together now,\u201d said Sanders.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nAlso coming away with a Sonora Rally win was Nassar Al-Attiyah in the modified cross-country car class. Racing for Toyota Gazoo Racing, Al-Attiyah picked up two stage wins and was consistent on the podium through the rally. \u201cFeeling good. I am happy to win the Sonora Rally. We have an amazing week and a good lead now. This was very important for the championship,\u201d said Al-Attiyah.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nIn the T3 class, Mitch Guthrie Jr and co-driver Kellon Walch grabbed a narrow victory.","excerpt":"

Red Bull GasGas Factory rider Daniel Sanders has won the overall victory at the 2023 Sonora Rally. This is the …<\/p>","date":"April 29, 2023 19:47","categories":[{"id":25047612,"title":"News","slug":"news"},{"id":25047953,"title":"Rally","slug":"rally"}],"tags":[{"id":25048585,"title":"daniel sanders","slug":"daniel-sanders"},{"id":25049261,"title":"FIM Rally-Raid World Championship","slug":"fim-rally-raid-world-championship"},{"id":25047980,"title":"gas gas","slug":"gas-gas"},{"id":25047753,"title":"mexico","slug":"mexico"},{"id":25048637,"title":"mitch guthrie jr","slug":"mitch-guthrie-jr"},{"id":25048662,"title":"nassar al-attiyah","slug":"nassar-al-attiyah"},{"id":25047683,"title":"red bull","slug":"red-bull"},{"id":25049259,"title":"Sonora Rally","slug":"sonora-rally"}]},{"id":4238,"permalink":"https:\/\/dirtsportsworld.com\/2022\/01\/07\/dakar-rally-stage-6-shortened-for-bike-classes\/","title":"Dakar Rally Stage 6 Shortened for Bike Classes","content":"The bike class was supposed to traverse the same route the four-wheeled vehicles used during stage five. It was quickly realized there was much more damage to the terrain than organizers expected, and organizers cut the stage short, reducing it to a quarter of its total length. Stage times were taken from the first refuel point. \u201cThe deterioration of the track due to the passage of cars and trucks yesterday, combined with recent torrential rains, has made the route impassable,\u201d announced the ASO mid-stage.\r\n\r\n\"\" \"\"\r\n\r\nDaniel Sanders claimed the win in Stage Six with his teammate Sam Sunderland finishing second, giving GasGas a one-two punch. Sunderland has the overall ranking at the halfway point in the Rally.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nSeth Quintero continued his winning streak for the Red Bull Junior team in the Light Prototype class.\r\n\r\n\"\"\r\n\r\nIn the car class, Orlando Terranova got the stage win. Nassar Al-Attiyah continues to lead the overall rankings. Tomorrow will be a much-needed rest day for the competitors.","excerpt":"

The bike class was supposed to traverse the same route the four-wheeled vehicles used during stage five. It was quickly …<\/p>","date":"January 7, 2022 13:31","categories":[{"id":25047612,"title":"News","slug":"news"},{"id":25047953,"title":"Rally","slug":"rally"}],"tags":[{"id":25048640,"title":"bike","slug":"bike"},{"id":25047925,"title":"dakar","slug":"dakar"},{"id":25048653,"title":"dakar 2022","slug":"dakar-2022"},{"id":25047642,"title":"Dakar Rally","slug":"dakar-rally"},{"id":25048585,"title":"daniel sanders","slug":"daniel-sanders"},{"id":25048578,"title":"gasgas","slug":"gasgas"},{"id":25047675,"title":"moto","slug":"moto"},{"id":25047687,"title":"motorcycle","slug":"motorcycle"},{"id":25048662,"title":"nassar al-attiyah","slug":"nassar-al-attiyah"},{"id":25048661,"title":"orlando terranova","slug":"orlando-terranova"},{"id":25048584,"title":"Sam Sunderland","slug":"sam-sunderland"},{"id":25047961,"title":"seth quintero","slug":"seth-quintero"}]}]{ "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/nassar-al-attiyah/feed/json -- and add it your reader.", "home_page_url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/tag/nassar-al-attiyah", "feed_url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/tag/nassar-al-attiyah/feed/json", "language": "en-US", "title": "nassar al-attiyah 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=14859", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/2026/01/17/champions-decided-as-2026-dakar-rally-concludes-in-saudi-arabia/", "title": "Champions Decided as 2026 Dakar Rally Concludes in Saudi Arabia", "content_html": "

The 48th Dakar Rally is in the books. The rally covered almost 8,000 km of punishing desert terrain in Saudi …

The post Champions Decided as 2026 Dakar Rally Concludes in Saudi Arabia appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.

\n", "content_text": "The 48th Dakar Rally is in the books. The rally covered almost 8,000 km of punishing desert terrain in Saudi …The post Champions Decided as 2026 Dakar Rally Concludes in Saudi Arabia appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.", "date_published": "2026-01-17T20:41:15-08:00", "date_modified": "2026-01-17T20:41:15-08:00", "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": [ "brock heger", "Dakar 2026", "Dakar Rally", "luciano benavides", "Nani Roma", "nassar al-attiyah", "nasser al-attiyah", "Ricky Brabec", "saudi arabia", "News", "Rally" ] }, { "id": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/?p=6980", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/2023/04/29/daniel-sanders-wins-2023-sonora-rally/", "title": "Daniel Sanders Wins 2023 Sonora Rally", "content_html": "

Red Bull GasGas Factory rider Daniel Sanders has won the overall victory at the 2023 Sonora Rally. This is the …

The post Daniel Sanders Wins 2023 Sonora Rally appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.

\n", "content_text": "Red Bull GasGas Factory rider Daniel Sanders has won the overall victory at the 2023 Sonora Rally. This is the …The post Daniel Sanders Wins 2023 Sonora Rally appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.", "date_published": "2023-04-29T19:47:52-07:00", "date_modified": "2023-04-29T19:56:05-07:00", "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": [ "daniel sanders", "FIM Rally-Raid World Championship", "gas gas", "mexico", "mitch guthrie jr", "nassar al-attiyah", "red bull", "Sonora Rally", "News", "Rally" ] }, { "id": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/?p=4238", "url": "https://dirtsportsworld.com/2022/01/07/dakar-rally-stage-6-shortened-for-bike-classes/", "title": "Dakar Rally Stage 6 Shortened for Bike Classes", "content_html": "

The bike class was supposed to traverse the same route the four-wheeled vehicles used during stage five. It was quickly …

The post Dakar Rally Stage 6 Shortened for Bike Classes appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.

\n", "content_text": "The bike class was supposed to traverse the same route the four-wheeled vehicles used during stage five. It was quickly …The post Dakar Rally Stage 6 Shortened for Bike Classes appeared first on DirtSportsWorld.", "date_published": "2022-01-07T13:31:49-08:00", "date_modified": "2022-01-07T13:31:49-08:00", "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": [ "bike", "dakar", "dakar 2022", "Dakar Rally", "daniel sanders", "gasgas", "moto", "motorcycle", "nassar al-attiyah", "orlando terranova", "Sam Sunderland", "seth quintero", "News", "Rally" ] } ] }