Argentine Luciano Benavides sensationally stole the 2026 Dakar Rally bike victory for KTM in the final kilometres, winning by just two seconds after overnight leader Ricky Brabec got lost on Saturday’s closing stage around Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.
The Californian Honda rider appeared to have his third Dakar victory secured, holding a 3 minute 42 second lead entering the final 21km sector. However, opening the road proved costly as Brabec lost his way, dropping 3 minutes 44 seconds to hand the 30-year-old Benavides an incredible victory after two weeks and 5 000 kilometres of racing.
The result marks Benavides’ first Dakar bike win and KTM’s 21st victory in the prestigious event. Remarkably, it also creates a unique family double, as Luciano joins his brother Kevin, a former two-time winner, in Dakar folklore.
Al Attiyah claims sixth car victory
In the car category, Qatari veteran Nasser Al Attiyah secured his sixth Dakar victory alongside Belgian co-driver Fabian Lurquin in their Dacia Sandrider. The pair survived a late scare, losing eight minutes in Saturday’s third sector, but maintained enough of their advantage to win by almost ten minutes from Spaniards Nani Roma and Alex Haro.
Al Attiyah’s victory adds to his previous wins in 2011 (Volkswagen), 2015 (Mini), and 2019, 2022, and 2024 (Toyota). Friday’s stage win was his record 50th Dakar day victory. For former airline pilot Lurquin, it marked his first Dakar car triumph.
German factory Ford Raptor crew Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist claimed the final stage win to secure third overall, ahead of nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb and Édouard Boulanger’s Dacia.
Strong South African showing
South African interests were well represented throughout the field. Michael Docherty delivered a standout performance in the bike category, claiming his ninth Rally 2 stage win of the event on Saturday, finishing fourth on the day aboard his BAS KTM.
In the car category, Century Racing’s South African-manufactured CR-7 achieved remarkable success on a fraction of the budget of top factory teams. French crew Mathieu Serradori and Loïc Minaudier guided their Century machine to sixth overall, even winning a stage en route.
Brian Baragwanath and Leonard Cremer finished 15th overall in the second Century Factory CR-7, whilst Saood Variawa and French co-driver Francois Cazalet were the best of the SVR Hiluxes in 11th position.
Toyota pair Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings, who had challenged for the overall lead for much of the rally, ultimately dropped to 19th after mechanical troubles slowed their Overdrive Hilux. Stuart Gregory, navigating for German Jurgen Schroder, finished 58th in a WCT Amarok.
The 2026 Dakar Rally concluded with impressive performances across multiple categories, highlighting both the unpredictable nature of motorsport’s toughest challenge and the strong representation from South African competitors and manufacturers on the world stage.
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