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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542726
forgetting to leave the bivouac- refuge between the flags. This ultimately sealed Scha- reina's hopes of the overall win, given how close the field was in 2026, but another win on stage nine hoisted him back up to fourth overall, a position that became third after Sand - ers' accident on stage 10, and it was where he would finish for his second overall podium in a row following his second-place finish in 2025. Skyler Howes put in another solid Dakar performance for Monster Energy Honda HRC by taking fourth overall. The Utahn finished many of the rally stages nestled between fifth and 10th overall, but he finally took a maid - day, when I was losing time, and I saw Ricky pushing hard, I kept telling myself it wasn't over until the last kilometer. In the end, he made a small mistake, and I got it right. It's just unreal." With the top two positions never in doubt, third overall went to the second Monster Energy Honda of Tosha Schareina. The Spaniard took wins on stages three and four, but a brain-fade on stage five saw Schareina handed a 10-minute penalty for choose a line that wasn't the correct one," Brabec lamented with tears in his eyes. "When I turned back, Luciano was com - ing behind me and, seeing the situation, he stayed on the right track, which made the differ- ence in such a close battle." That single mishap sealed the American's fate after over 49 hours of racing and allowed Luciano and Kevin Benavides to become the first brothers ever to each take a victory in the pre - mier Dakar motorcycle category. "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," Luciano said. "I never gave up. Even to - ROUND 1 / JANUARY 3-17, 2026 YANBU, SAUDI ARABIA OFF-ROAD I FIM WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP P76 Stage 10 was where it all went wrong for Daniel Sanders. The Australian was way out in front in the overall despite winning just a single stage (2) in 2026, but he won more fans for how he rode after the crash than before it.