Dakar Rally 2026: Stage 2 and Stage 8 Race Outcomes

The Dakar Rally 2026 has seen significant developments across its categories, with Stage 2 concluding on January 5th and Stage 8 on January 12th. Daniel Sanders secured a stage victory and the overall lead in the motorcycle category after Stage 2, while Seth Quintero claimed the Ultimate class car stage win. Stage 8 saw Luciano Benavides take his third motorcycle stage win and the overall lead, with Saood Variawa winning the auto category stage.

Stage 2: Yanbu to AlUla (January 5, 2026)

The second stage of the Dakar Rally 2026, spanning the route from Yanbu to AlUla, covered a 400-kilometer special.

Daniel Sanders achieved his 10th career stage victory in the Dakar Rally, placing him among 22 riders in the event's history to reach double-digit stage wins. His teammate, Edgar Canet, initially led the stage for approximately 100 kilometers before a fall occurred. After accounting for bonus points awarded to opening riders, Sanders secured the stage win with a 1-minute 35-second advantage over Canet. Sanders also moved into the overall lead in the general standings by 30 seconds.

Stage 2 Top Motorcycle Finishers:

• 1st: Daniel Sanders
• 2nd: Edgar Canet
• 3rd: Ricky Brabec

Overall Motorcycle Standings (After Stage 2):

• 1st: Daniel Sanders (Leader)
• 2nd: Edgar Canet
• 3rd: Ricky Brabec (2 minutes 18 seconds behind leader)
• 4th: Tosha Schareina (4 minutes 41 seconds behind leader)
• 5th: Ross Branch (7 minutes 46 seconds behind leader)
• 10th: Adrien Van Beveren (14 minutes 9 seconds behind leader)

In the Rally 2 class, Portuguese rider Martim Ventura secured a stage victory on a Honda motorcycle. This marked the first stage win for a Honda in this class since its introduction in 2022. Michael Docherty maintained the overall lead in the class with a 19-second advantage.

Seth Quintero, driving a Toyota Hilux T1+, achieved his third stage victory in the Ultimate class. Quintero, with navigator Andrew Short, had previously recorded 20 stage wins in the Challenger class between 2021 and 2023. Nasser Al Attiyah finished 8th in Stage 2 but took the overall lead in the general rankings by a 7-second margin over Quintero.

Stage 2 Top Car Finishers:

• 1st: Seth Quintero
• 2nd: Henk Lategan (1 minute 42 seconds behind winner)
• 3rd: Yazeed Al Rajhi (1 minute 56 seconds behind Quintero)

Other notable finishers included Toby Price in 4th, Joao Ferreira in 5th, and Simon Vitse in 6th place, ahead of Sébastien Loeb in 7th.

Stage 8: Wadi ad Dawasir (January 12, 2026)

Stage 8 of the Dakar Rally 2026 in Wadi ad Dawasir consisted of a 483-kilometer stage.

Argentina's Luciano Benavides secured his third stage win of the 2026 Dakar Rally. He completed the stage and gained 7 minutes and 28 seconds in bonuses, subsequently taking the overall lead by 10 seconds over his teammate Daniel Sanders.

Overall Standings (Motorcycles - After Stage 8):

• 1st: Luciano Benavides
• 2nd: Daniel Sanders (10 seconds behind)
• 3rd: Ricky Brabec (4 minutes 47 seconds behind Benavides)
• 4th: Tosha Schareina (20 minutes behind Benavides)

Neels Theric won Stage 8 in the Rally 2 class, marking his third stage win of the year. American rider Preston Campbell maintained his overall lead in Rally 2, though his advantage was reduced to 9 minutes and 36 seconds by Toni Mulec. Mike Docherty was involved in an incident during this stage.

Twenty-year-old Saood Variawa secured the stage victory in the auto category by a margin of 3 seconds. Starting 26th, Variawa clinched the win over fellow Toyota Hilux driver Henk Lategan. Mattias Ekstrom finished third in the stage, 29 seconds behind Variawa.

Henk Lategan gained 1 minute on Nasser Al Attiyah and moved to third place in the overall standings, 6 minutes and 8 seconds behind the leader. Mattias Ekstrom reinforced his second position in the overall rankings, 4 minutes behind Nasser Al Attiyah. The overall standings for the top five auto drivers remained closely contested, with Carlos Sainz 10 minutes and 39 seconds behind the leader, and Sébastien Loeb in sixth place, 17 minutes behind Nasser Al Attiyah.

Stage 8 Auto Podium:

• 1st: Saood Variawa
• 2nd: Henk Lategan
• 3rd: Mattias Ekstrom (29 seconds behind Variawa)