Dakar Moves Into Its Final Stages
T
he 2026 Dakar Rally has
been one of the closest ever
fought, and with four stages left
to run, Red Bull KTM's Luciano
Benavides has surged into a nar
-
row lead.
The Argentine took a third
stage win of 2026 after triumph-
ing on Stage Eight on Monday,
January 12, overhauling long-
time leader and defending Dakar
Champion, fellow Red Bull KTM
rider Daniel Sanders.
Benavides now holds a
10-second lead after an incred
-
ible 33 hours of competitive
stage racing over Sanders, with
Monster Energy Honda's Ricky
Brabec continuing to hold third
overall, four minutes and 47
seconds behind.
"I felt like I did a really good
job today," Benavides said after
Stage Eight. "I pushed all day and
felt super good on the bike. I es-
pecially like these faster stages
where I can read the roadbook
well and make good decisions.
The last part was crazy with the
wind. I couldn't see the piste,
which made navigation really dif
-
ficult, but overall, it was another
strong day, and I picked up a lot
of bonus time. To be leading the
rally feels amazing, but there's
still a long way to go."
Brabec has been playing the
long game in Dakar so far, always
circulating around the top five
with a lowest stage finishing posi
-
tion of 10th on Stage Seven. The
Californian has four stages left to
mount an attack
for the 2026 title,
a win that would
put him into the
pantheon of Dakar
greats alongside
Cyril Neveu, Edi
Orioli, Stephane
Peterhansel,
Richard Sainct, Marc Coma and
Cyril Despres as a three-time race
winner.
"Today's stage I felt great, made
no mistakes, rode as best and as
fast as I could all day," Brabec said
after Stage Eight. "It was another
fast stage. I rode by myself all day,
so maybe tomorrow I can catch
up with the group in front of me
and ride in a group."
Fourth in the overall is Brabec's
WIND
IN THE
P24
Luciano Benavides
is hitting his stride at
exactly the right time,
taking the overall
lead with four stages
remaining.
