Daniel Sanders claims stage two win and Dakar lead

2026 Dakar Rally

Stage Two – Yanbu to Alula

Daniel Sanders has already moved into the 2026 Dakar Rally lead, with the stage two win in AlUla taking his tally to 10 career stage victories in total, hitting that double digit record, as only the 22nd rider to do so.

Stage two of the Dakar Rally took riders from Yanbu to AlUla over a demanding 400-kilometre selective section. Heading inland toward the Hejaz Mountains, the stage began with slow, technical terrain, featuring narrow, winding tracks and rocky passes before opening into wider, faster sections.

After crossing a series of challenging riverbeds, the route finished at high speed across sandy plateaus, white-sand canyons, and flowing off-piste terrain, ensuring another physically and mentally demanding day on the bike for all.

Sanders chased down teammate Edgar Canet, who had a minor fall at kilometre 100, giving the Aussie a chance to catch up and nab the lead. When the dust settled, the 400 km special complete, and bonus points for openers awarded, Sanders was 1m35s ahead, with a 30s lead in the overall standings.

Daniel Sanders

“Winner. Today I started in second position and caught Edgar at about 100km, where I was then opening and collecting time bonuses. There was lots of tricky navigation but we managed to smash it! Tomorrow I open the stage, so I need to be in the right mindset.

“It was a much better stage today and felt more like classic Dakar, with open terrain and a real mix of conditions, which I really enjoyed. I had a good idea of what to expect, which helped with the rhythm, and it was important to get out front, open the stage and stay on top of the navigation, correcting any small mistakes quickly so I didn’t lose time. The pace was strong, the bike and my body are feeling really good, and overall it was a very positive day. There were some tricky sections, especially after the refuel, but we managed it well and kept a solid flow, which is exactly what you want early on in the rally.”

After his two successes in the prologue and the first stage, young Spaniard Canet was called upon to open the way, always a daunting task, and one fraught with danger, with navigation errors and crashes always a particular risk.

Edgar Canet

“I’m really happy with how stage two went – it was an incredible stage for me. I had two small crashes early on, one after trying to pass a camel on the piste and clipping a rock, but that’s part of rally racing and I felt fine afterwards. Navigation was very tricky in places, especially through the rocky riverbeds where it was difficult to even see the piste, so we had to stop and carefully check the roadbook at times. Even opening the stage we didn’t lose much time, and overall I’m pleased with both the navigation and the speed. It was a tough stage for everyone, but I’m really enjoying riding here and I’m happy to still be very much in the fight.”

Behind the two Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders, Ricky Brabec achieved the day’s third best time and also remains a consistent third in the general rankings, 2m18s behind the rally leader.

Ricky Brabec

“Day two in the books. It was a long day, full of rocks, but I enjoy the rocks so hopefully we have more days like this. Fortunately, I couldn’t make a push to grab some bonus time, but I did the best I could to keep up with the boys up front. Hopefully tomorrow is a good day for us, we’ll keep consistency and keep pushing forward.”

The gaps remain modest in the top five, completed by Tosha Schareina, 4m41s behind, followed by Ross Branch – 7m46s, although it was Skyler Howes in the top five for the stage in fourth.

Skyler Howes enjoyed a much-improved day following his crash on stage one, as he moves up to seventh overall. After spending much of the opening stage riding alone, Tosha Schareina once again delivered a measured and consistent performance, kept the leading group firmly within reach across the rocky terrain.

Tosha Schareina

“It was really long, 400 km of stones with a little bit of dunes at the end. I tried to get into a rhythm because I was in the middle of nowhere, with no one behind and no one in front. I think we did a good stage and we have a good start position for tomorrow.”

Skyler Howes

“Today started out a little bit slow in the rocks, but once it opened up with the high speeds, I felt really good, at home and happy to bring in a decent stage finish, so really happy with how stage two went and looking forward to stage three.”

Making the best use of his experience and skill, Benavides maintained a measured and consistent pace through the first demanding half of today’s stage, increasing his pace as the terrain opened up towards the end, the Argentine was placed comfortably inside the top 10. A small issue in the final kilometres slowed his progression, but he was able to safely complete the day in ninth place. Benavides now lies sixth in the provisional overall rally standings, trailing Sanders by just over 10 minutes.

Luciano Benavides

“I’m feeling good overall, although today was a very fast stage where it was important to stay on the track. Unfortunately, I had an issue with the rear tyre towards the end after hitting a rock, so I had to ease off and manage it carefully to make sure I reached the finish. Even so, the feeling on the bike was positive, and I’m eager to get back out there tomorrow and make up for it.”

Adrien Van Beveren was hoping for a smoother run after completing most of stage one without a front brake, but his day was again compromised following a crash into a tree.  Despite the setback, the Frenchman nursed his damaged Honda CRF450 RALLY to the finish in eighth place, nearly nine minutes down.  He now faces a 14-minute deficit in the overall standings.

Adrien Van Beveren

“It was not the best day for me, I felt OK at the beginning and I tried to push to get into a good rhythm riding on the stones. Then I had a big crash, it was not from a stone but from a tree and I flew off my bike. Then I tried to manage my broken bike to the finish.”

The competition in the Rally 2 class has undergone a minor revolution, with a Honda motorcycle winning for the first time in the class (first introduced in 2022), ridden by Portuguese rider Martim Ventura, a newcomer to the Dakar.  The Japanese brand joins a club that remains largely dominated by KTM (36 stages in R2), followed by Husqvarna (16) and Sherco (2). However, Ventura failed to take the lead in the overall category standings, where Michael Docherty reigns with a lead of 19 seconds.

Martim Ventura

“My plan was to start to increase the pace through the rally, however, the pace is already good and if I stay like this throughout the rally then I’m happy. The pace is super high, I feel comfortable riding fast and it’s a dream start, in a dream race, in a dream team, so I’m happy. When I think about fourteen days of racing and the pace we set today, it’s going to be tough, but we train for this, so no complaints about it.”

Toby Price had a strong stage two, finishing fourth in his Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC truck, 4m36s off the leader, moving into seventh overall, 2m42s off the overall lead.

Australia’s David Brock finished the stage in 98th, and now sits 94th overall.

Next: Stage Three

Tomorrow’s stage three will see riders complete a looped stage starting and finishing in AlUla. Of the 666 kilometres covered, 422 will be timed special – the longest of the rally so far.

2026 Dakar Rally Stage Two Results
(Provisional)

2026 Dakar Rally Standings after Stage Two
(Provisional)

2026 Dakar Rally Route/Schedule

2026 Dakar Rally route

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