Five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah has emerged from a week of intense Ford versus Toyota battles to lead the 2026 Dakar Rally after seven stages, with South Africans Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings sitting in a strong second place for Toyota.
The Qatari driver and co-driver Fabian Lurquin’s Dacia Sandrider struck decisively on Friday to steal the overall lead, building a six-minute advantage over the South African Toyota crew ahead of Sunday’s longest special stage of the rally so far.
South Africans make their mark
Lategan and Cummings have been amongst the most consistent performers in their Overdrive Gazoo Hilux throughout the opening week, bouncing back from an early puncture in Saturday’s Prologue to claim stage victories and maintain their position in the championship fight.
The duo made headlines on Wednesday when they dominated the stage to jump from 11th overall into the race lead, opening the road without motorcycle tracks to follow on Thursday to retain their advantage before Friday’s setback.
Fellow South African Guy Botterill, partnered with Spaniard Oriol Mena in an SVR Gazoo Hilux, has also featured prominently, finishing eighth on Sunday’s opening stage and third on Tuesday when Ford dominated proceedings.
In a historic moment for South African motorsport, Stellenbosch driver Puck Klaassen made headlines on Tuesday by becoming only the fifth woman ever to win a Dakar stage. The achievement came in the T3 Challenger category alongside Argentine co-driver Augusto Sanz in their KTM.
Ford and Toyota trade blows
The opening week saw dramatic swings between Ford Raptor and Toyota Hilux crews, with the previous day’s winners consistently facing the penalty of opening the road for following competitors.
Ford crews dominated Tuesday’s proceedings, with American Mitch Guthrie and Kellon Walch’s factory Raptor leading Czech privateers Martin Prokop and Viktor Chytka, before Toyota struck back emphatically on Wednesday with seven Hiluxes in the top ten.
Spanish Ford driver Nani Roma and co-driver Álex Haro currently sit third overall, representing the best of the Ford challenge as the rally heads into its second week.
KTM maintains motorcycle dominance
In the motorcycle category, Australian Daniel Sanders continues KTM’s remarkable run of 18 consecutive Dakar victories, building a commanding 6 minutes 45 seconds lead over Californian Honda rider Ricky Brabec.
South African representation in the bike category comes from Michael Docherty, who leads the Rally 2 class on his BAS KTM after recovering from mechanical problems during the week, and Brad Cox from Durban, who sits eighth overall on his Sherco.
The rally continues on Sunday with a demanding 462-kilometre special stage to Wadi Ad Dawasir, the longest of the 2026 event so far.
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