Having reached the halfway mark of the 2026 Dakar Rally, and with a day of rest providing a breather, we can take a look at the first week of Dakar, through which 244 entries of the original 317 have survived. That includes 93 riders, 11 in the RallyGP class and 82 in the Rally2, plus 141 car crews and 40 truck crews.
Interestingly, the top four of last year’s 2025 championship also hold the top four in the motorbike category, world champion Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) at the top. However the competition still has plenty of fight, particularly Monster Energy Honda HRC, with Ricky Brabec proving extremely consistent and now sitting in second place, as well as Tosha Schareina in fourth.
Daniel Sanders – 2026 Dakar Rally Stage Six
A bunch of Rally2 contenders ran into trouble, but Preston Campbell (Monster Energy Honda HRC) avoided their fate and sits at the top of the leader board.
Daniel Sanders, the favourite to defend his crown, has lived up to his billing throughout the first half of the rally. The reigning champion was happy to let his young teammate Edgar Canet hog the limelight at the beginning of the week.
Daniel Sanders
Sanders biding his time until he saw the opportunity to drop the hammer and storm to the top of the provisional ranking. He would have had a much wider moat than his current 45-second margin over Ricky Brabec had he not been stung by a six-minute penalty for speeding between Hail and Riyadh.
Daniel Sanders
“The first week hasn’t been as clean or controlled as we would have liked, and there were a few missed opportunities where we should have capitalized more on the pace we had. My speed and navigation have generally been very strong and physically I feel really good on the bike, but I’ve made some small mistakes that add up in rally racing, especially when you’re trying to build a gap. Even so, we’re still leading, which shows the potential we have, although it’s not a comfortable position yet. Stage six was frustrating with the speed penalty caused by an issue with my buzzer, but aside from that the feeling in the sand and on the bike was very positive. Going into the second week, the focus is on being cleaner, sharper, and making better decisions in the navigation so we can really make the most of what we have.”
Daniel Sanders
Behind the Australian, the American riding for Honda has also had a solid first week. Brabec has yet to claim his first victory, but he has managed to steer clear of trouble and remains a serious contender for the trophy.
Ricky Brabec
Further afield, Luciano Benavides hold the bottom step of the provisional podium, about ten minutes from the two men at the top of the board. The Argentinian has been a cut below the two other former winners in the field, but he still managed to claim stage five.
Luciano Benavides
Luciano Benavides
“Overall, the first week has been really, really good for me. It’s the first time I’ve been in a podium position after the first week of Dakar, which is something I’m not used to. Right now, I’m around 10 minutes off the lead, and even though the second week looks like it will be tougher than the first, I believe we’re in the fight for a strong result. The feeling on the bike has been very good, the team has done an amazing job, and I had no major issues in the marathon stage, plus a stage win already. Physically I’m not at 100 percent yet, but my rhythm and confidence are improving every day, so the rest day will be important to recharge and be ready to push again in the second week.”
Luciano Benavides
Benavides, who tends to get stronger with every passing special, remains within striking distance, 10′15″ behind the leaders and ready to pounce on any opening. Tosha Schareina, within twelve minutes of Sanders, is also a force to be reckoned with. The factory rider picked up two stage wins in the opening week and seized the lead in AlUla.
Tosha Schareina
Unfortunately, he was then slapped with a ten-minute penalty for failing to follow basic procedure when exiting the bivouac-refuge in the marathon stage.
Ignacio Cornejo reached the rest day in fifth place, about half an hour down. The rider, who has not been on the same level as the riders ahead of him in the provisional ranking, is banking on his consistency to fight for a podium spot in Yanbu.
Edgar Canet
Edgar Canet stole the show after the start, bagging the prologue and stage one. The young Spaniard, who has been promoted to RallyGP this year, went toe to toe with Sanders for a long time before wrecking his rear tyre in the second half of the marathon stage.
Edgar Canet
“The first week was crazy for me, probably the craziest week of my life. Starting the rally with a prologue win and then winning another stage was incredible and I’m really proud of that. Then in the rocky stages and during the marathon I arrived at the bivouac in good shape, but the next day I was pushing hard, catching the riders in front, and I broke the rear wheel. That cost me a lot, around six hours including penalties, and it took me out of the top positions. It was a really tough day mentally, especially just before the rest day. I’m happy to be here now and reach the halfway point of the rally. I’m treating the race as a big learning experience. I’ve learned a lot in the first week and I’m ready to keep working hard and pushing again in the second.”
Edgar Canet
Now 59th overall, Canet will have to settle for more stage wins at best.
Ross Branch also faded in the marathon stage after an impressive start, as did Skyler Howes, who pushed his rear tyre too hard in stage four, and Adrien Van Beveren, whose difficulties matching the pace of the leaders were compounded by bad luck. He is now almost an hour adrift.
Adrien Van Beveren
Meanwhile, the American rookie Preston Campbell is spending the rest day perched at the summit of the Rally2 standings. The rider, ninth overall, has stayed out of the weeds so far, unlike Tobias Ebster, who had to quit with a hand injury after stage three; Michael Docherty, who broke his rear wheel; Harith Noah, who crashed out of the race; Neels Theric, who had a calamitous prologue; and his own teammate Martim Ventura, who struggled in stage five.
Preston Campbell
Campbell has just over fifteen minutes in hand over the Slovenian Toni Mulec. Konrad Dąbrowski, third at 23 minutes off the American leader, is still in the mix too.
Australia’s David Brock is still in the race, but sits 94th, and has collected over 11 hours in penalties, weighing him down.
Cars and Trucks
The world champion, Lucas Moraes (The Dacia Sandriders), is running tenth overall in the car category. The other two men who stood on the series podium are locked in a duel for victory, with Nasser Al Attiyah (The Dacia Sandriders) leading Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC). Toby Price meanwhile sits 15th.
In the Stock class, the first confrontation between the manufacturer Defender and Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body has turned to the advantage of the English maker and its driver Rokas Baciuška.
The top 2 of the 2025 season is also the top 2 of the Challenger race. The W2RC runner-up, Pau Navarro (Odyssey Academy by BBR), is just ahead of the champion, Nicolás Cavigliasso (Vertical Motorsport). Three Can-Am Factory drivers top the W2RC board in SSV.
On the fringes of the main race, 94 vehicles mostly from the 20th century remain in contention in the Dakar Classic regularity race. The Lithuanian Karolis Raišys and the Frenchman Christophe Marques hold the lead in their Land Rover.
The seven vehicles in the Dakar Future Mission 1000 challenge have also got six stages left to put their cutting-edge tech to the test in the Saudi desert and contribute to alternative fuel research.
Next: Stage Seven
Racing resumes with the long 876-kilometre stage seven as competitors leave Riyadh to begin the second half of the 2026 Dakar Rally.
