KTM’s Luciano Benavides has taken the Dakar Rally 2026 victory over Honda HRC’s Ricky Brabec by the narrowest of margins, just two-seconds separating the leading duo when the timesheets were confirmed. That was despite Brabec heading into the final round with a 3m20s advantage.
Luciano Benavides is Dakar Rally 2026 Champion! – Image by Edo Bauer
Refusing to surrender despite setbacks, pressure, and one of the closest battles in Dakar history, the Argentine delivered when it mattered most, attacking right to the final kilometre on his KTM 450 RALLY to claim his first Dakar Rally victory. Benavides’ win – the closest in the history of the event – marks KTM’s 21st Dakar title, following Dakar triumphs by his brother Kevin in 2021 and 2023.
Luciano Benavides – Dakar Rally 2026 Champion! – Image by Edo Bauer
Luciano Benavides – 2026 Dakar Rally Champion
“I still can’t believe it. I never stopped dreaming. I woke up today full of energy and motivation, just thinking about what I could do and trusting in myself, and that was the key for this Dakar. I did this for myself, and this feeling is unreal. To win by just two seconds is unbelievable. I even missed the last two corners and nearly crashed, so it was right on the limit, but it paid off. I honestly can’t describe this moment. This is my ninth Dakar, and it shows that if you never stop dreaming, never stop believing, and keep fighting for your goals, anything is possible. I never gave up. Even today, when I was losing time and I saw Ricky pushing hard, I kept telling myself it wasn’t over until the last kilometre. In the end, he made a small mistake and I got it right. It’s just unreal. Vamos Argentina! Now it’s time to celebrate with my family, my friends, my sponsors, and everyone who has supported me through all these years to achieve this dream.”
Luciano Benavides – Dakar Rally 2026 Champion! – Image by Edo Bauer
The maker from Mattighofen defending the title of Australian Daniel Sanders, who has finished in fifth place, despite racing with significant injuries after an earlier high speed crash.
Ricky Brabec had to settle for runner-up at Dakar 2026, with a two-second gap sure to sting after a navigation mistake
Brabec knew that opening the stage would leave him without tracks to follow, placing a premium on precise navigation as he chased a third Dakar title. The final special stage featured two timed sections separated by a liaison, Brabec set a strong pace early, but a navigation issue just seven kilometres from the finish cost him valuable time, ultimately denying him the coveted Bedouin Trophy.
Ricky Brabec
“This Dakar was a real fight from start to finish. On the final stage, a quite confusing note led me to choose a line that wasn’t the correct one. When I turned back, Luciano was coming behind me and, seeing the situation, he stayed on the right track, which made the difference in such a close battle.”
Ricky Brabec the Dakar Rally 2026 runner-up
Saturday’s final stage 13 of the 2026 Dakar Rally provides a relatively short sprint set out in a loop from Yanbu. With just 108 kilometres raced against the clock, all riders will be pushing hard to secure a strong final position in the rankings.
Daniel Sanders managed to finish Dakar 2026 fifth despite injury
Sanders managed to retain a 1m31s lead over a charging Adrien van Beveren, making two Factory KTMs in the top five, to three Honda HRC riders, with Schareina third for Honda, and Van Beveren just on the outside in sixth.
Daniel Sanders – Image by Edo Bauer
Daniel Sanders
“I’m really happy for the team, and that’s just Dakar – it’s never over until it’s over. Every day is different and anything can happen. I only heard the news at the finish. I was in a lot of pain and honestly just ready to lie down, but that gave me the extra motivation to go and see Luciano and congratulate him. It’s so cool and really incredible for the whole team. Unfortunately, I was unlucky in my own race and out of the fight for the win, but the result is still in the team, and that’s something special. Huge congratulations to everyone who worked so hard again this year, consistency has really paid off.”
Tosha Schareina took third overall in Dakar 2026
This marked the second career Dakar podium for Spaniard Schareina and the fourth for the American Brabec.
Tosha Schareina
“A few years ago, I was fighting just to be in the race. Today, standing on the podium almost feels like business as usual. But I have to be realistic; it feels so good to stand on the podium. I’ve fought my whole life for this. I’m happy that we have put two Hondas on the podium. I still need to find a few gains in certain areas, but I’m on the right track. The penalty didn’t help me in the overall, so I had to pivot my strategy. Sometimes you have to pay more attention to those details or the navigation, and I was also a bit off the pace in the high-speed sections.”
Tosha Schareina took third overall at Dakar 2026
Skyler Howes
“A lot of crazy stuff out there. I’m super happy to make it to the finish line of this one, a lot of adversity, some things to overcome and some really good riding. I’m happy with how I rode, the team did a great job, they did awesome with the mechanics, the logistics and I’m super happy to be a part of Monster Energy Honda HRC and to make it to the finish line of this one. A lot of things to clean up on my end. As far as everything else that went for me this race, stage one I needed a little bit more patience. I got really lucky this time, my mom is looking over me and she made sure I got to the finish line of this one. So I’m super proud of that and this one is for her.”
Skyler Howes was fourth overall, trailing the leaders by 56 mins
Adrien Van Beveren
“They often say that just finishing a Dakar is a victory in itself, and I want to take heart from that, but I also feel like I could’ve used a third week! I had a tough first week, struggling a bit to find my rhythm and dealing with all sorts of drama: a crash, a coil of wire getting caught in my wheel. It was a hyper-eventful opening week. The second week started much better; the stages were really solid, we bagged a win and I was in the hunt every day. That’s what I am going to take away from this to come back in 2027. I think I took a bit of a knock to my confidence in Portugal. Getting your mojo back after a crash like that takes time, and I think that process was just what I needed.”
Adrien Van Beveren had to settle for sixth at Dakar 2026
Edgar Canet started 31 minutes after Brabec, and won the stage by just six-seconds over his teammate Benavides. The young Spaniard gaining the upper hand on the home straight of the special. This is his third stage win of the 2026 edition and his third in Yanbu.
Edgar Canet took the final stage win of Dakar 2026
For Canet, the 2026 Dakar Rally represented a major milestone in his career. Competing in the RallyGP category for the first time, the Spaniard made an immediate impact by winning the prologue and stage one, becoming the youngest-ever stage winner in the bike category.
An issue with his rear mousse while pushing hard on stage five halted his charge in the overall standings, but Canet continued to demonstrate impressive speed and strong navigation throughout the remainder of the rally. Gaining invaluable experience, Edgar completed his second Dakar and first at RallyGP level in emphatic fashion, finishing the event on a high
Edgar Canet
“It’s been a really crazy race for me. These two weeks were full of emotions, so many ups and downs, but the most important thing is that we made it to the end. I won three stages, and Luciano taking the overall win is huge. I’m super, super happy for him. It’s been a crazy Dakar, and I couldn’t be happier for the whole team and the entire KTM family. We showed throughout the race which bike is the fastest in the desert, and that was a big objective for us. Now the motivation is even higher to keep working, keep fighting, and keep improving. I know exactly what my main goal is for next year, so I’m really motivated to keep pushing and keep training.”
Edgar Canet
David Brock finished the final stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally in 87th of 91 racers who made it the full distance, and was 83rd overall.
Rally 2
In Rally2, Toni Mulec is the winner of the Dakar, beating Preston Campbell by 4m37s and Martim Ventura by 1h37m15s. The Slovenian has taken the crown from Edgar Canet (2025) and secured the second triumph for BAS World KTM, which prevailed with Mason Klein in 2022.
Competing in his first Dakar Rally, Preston Campbell demonstrated remarkable composure and maturity despite limited experience, having contested only two World Rally-Raid Championship rounds prior to the event.
Monster Energy Honda HRC’s Rally2 rookies Preston Campbell and Martim Ventura finished Dakar in second and third for their class
The 26-year-old American rider consistently ran among the Rally2 frontrunners throughout the rally and after taking the overall Rally2 lead on stage four, he held the top position until stage eleven. Although he began the final stage trailing rival Toni Mulec by more than six minutes, Campbell delivered a strong closing performance to reduce the gap to just 4m37s in second. Campbell is also the top-ranked rookie.
Preston Campbell
Preston Campbell – Rally 2 Runner-Up
“I just tried to do my best everyday and some days weren’t as good as the others, but I’m happy to be the top rookie and make it into the top ten overall, so I’m super happy with that. I can’t thank the team enough and I look forward to the next one.”
Martim Ventura experienced the full spectrum of Dakar challenges. The 25-year-old Portuguese rider claimed his maiden Dakar stage victory on stage two, but suffered a significant setback two stages later when a mechanical issue cost him over two hours. Dropping to ninth overall, Ventura responded with determination, mounting an impressive comeback that included another stage win in the second week and a hard-earned final spot on the Rally2 podium.
Martim Ventura
Martim Ventura – Rally 2 Third
“I’m super happy with my performance at my first Dakar Rally. We had some problems during the race which pushed me back a bit in the overall. I have a lot to improve, I’m 100% sure that one day I’ll be on the top step, so I’m working on it everyday and from now on. I’m super happy and my bike worked so well, so thank you to the team.”
Ultimate
Toby Price led the Toyota armada home, finishing eighth in the first Dakar he has completed on four wheels for the works team. The Japanese marque, a three-time world champion in the manufacturers’ standings, made an uncharacteristically slow start. Dacia (160 points) leads Ford (-33) and Toyota (-63) in the manufacturers’ ranking.
Nasser Al Attiyah ended the 2025 season with a bitter pill to swallow after missing the final braking point of the year. The Qatari got the ball rolling on the fifth season with his sixth Dakar title, built on his dominance in the dunes of stage 6.
The defending world champion, Lucas Moraes, now his teammate at Dacia, played a quiet game throughout the two weeks of racing, reflected in his seventh-place finish. Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing) emerged as the Qatari’s primary challenger until a series of mechanicals in stage 11 proved fatal to his chances.
The South African, the breakout star of the 2024 season, finished the opening round 21st, the worst performance of any favourite, after Yazeed Al Rajhi. The Saudi title holder and 2023–24 world championship runner-up threw in the towel early in the first week.
The Ford Racing cars proved to be the most capable of upsetting Al Attiyah, Loeb and their Sandriders. Nani Roma and Mattias Ekström placed their Raptors on the Dakar podium ahead of the Frenchman.
The Swede sits ahead of the Catalan in the championship, thanks in no small part to four special wins. Carlos Sainz rounded out the top 5, putting three Fords into the elite circle. The old-school stars have all made a flying start to the championship.
Team Manager Quotes
Andreas Hölzl – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Rally Team Manager
“We are incredibly proud of what Luciano, Edgar, Chucky, and the entire team have achieved – it’s honestly unbelievable. We fought right until the very last metre and never gave up, and that was the key. Dakar always writes its own stories, and this year was another perfect example of that. Luciano fought from day one until the finish; he’s a true fighter, and without doubt this has been the best race of his career.
“It’s an incredible achievement. Edgar once again showed just how strong he is in winning the final stage. I’m really happy we have him in the team, because I’m convinced he will win a Dakar one day. And Chucky, our real survivor, deserves massive respect. I’m extremely proud of these three riders and of the whole team.”
Ruben Faria – Monster Energy Honda HRC General Manager
“The last day of Dakar 2026 didn’t bring the result we were expecting, but this is Dakar — this is rally raid. Six kilometres from the end of the final stage, Ricky turned left slightly too early. He didn’t take the correct track, lost a significant amount of time, and crossed the finish line just two seconds behind Luciano.
“Going into today, Ricky had a good margin thanks to the time bonuses — a gap of 4 minutes and 42 seconds over second place. With that small mistake, we lost the Dakar by just two seconds. Of course, we wanted more. We wanted to win, but we have to accept the result.
“Overall, it was still a strong performance for the team: Ricky finished second, Tosha third, Skyler fourth, and Adrien sixth. Ricky delivered a very solid Dakar. Tosha made a mistake in the first week but still managed to finish with a strong overall result. Skyler struggled during the first week but recovered well in the second. Adrien lost almost an hour when a cable that was in the middle of nowhere got stuck in his wheel , yet he had an excellent second week.
“Naturally, we expected more — the goal was to win, and we finished incredibly close. This has never happened before. We’ll keep pushing, aim to win the next races, and come back even stronger for the next Dakar. The team did a great job, and the Honda bikes performed extremely well throughout the rally.”
