The Dacia Sandriders win 2026 Dakar Rally
The Dacia Sandriders won the 48th Dakar Rally in only their second participation in the event. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin claimed a memorable win by a margin of just under 10 seconds in Saudi Arabia.
After 13 days of gruelling competition over 7,979 kilometres of undulating rock tracks, dunes and fast open sections — 4,809 of which were against the clock — the Dacia Sandriders pair came out on top, claiming two stage victories and only slipping outside the top three overall positions on one occasion.
Final day heroics secure win in Saudi Arabia
Friday’s stage win on the penultimate day of the Rally gave Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin a lead of 16m02s heading into the final stage.
The 105 kilometre timed loop around Yanbu, which was also the setting of the event’s Prologue on January 3, featured a mountainous landscape and gravel tracks, meaning careful cornering was essential.
The Sandriders pair cautiously navigated the final stage to come home 36th quickest and ensure victory by a 9m42s margin ahead of Ford Raptor’s Spanish duo Nani Roma and Alex Haro.
Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin at the finish line after winning the 48th Dakar Rally
Credit: Kin Marcin / Red Bull Content Pool
A sixth win for Al-Attiyah, maiden win for Lurquin
The victory in Saudi Arabia was Qatari driver Al-Attiyah’s sixth Dakar Rally win, while for Belgian navigator Lurquin, it represented the realisation of something he’d been “dreaming of for 22 years”, having finished second in 2022 and 2025 and third in 2024.
The Dacia Sandriders Team Principal, Tiphanie Isnard, called the win “the perfect performance” and a “testament to the efforts of our brilliant team”, after only one full season of competing in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.
Nasser Al-Attiyah celebrates his sixth Dakar Rally win. The Qatari driver was previously victorious in 2011, 2015, 2019, 2022 and 2023
Benavides wins historic Dakar Rally Bike title
In the Bike class, there was a historic victory in Saudi Arabia for Argentina’s Luciano Benavides, who overcame a 3m20s deficit at the start of the final stage to win the 2026 Dakar Rally Bike title.
The two-second winning margin by the KTM 450 Rally rider over Honda CRF450R’s Ricky Brabec was the smallest in Dakar history. Luciano Benavides — who suffered knee and shoulder injuries just three months ago — joins brother Kevin as a Dakar Rally winner, with Kevin triumphing in 2021 and 2023.
Benavides spoke after the dramatic victory, saying": "I cannot believe it! I never stopped dreaming. To win by just two seconds is unreal. I woke up today full of motivation and energy, trusting myself to do what I can. That's the key to success at the Dakar. My brother Kevin won by 43 seconds in 2023, and that was the closest finish ever. Now I've won by two seconds. Two seconds after two weeks and over 8,000km is hard to believe."
Luciano Benavides celebrates victory with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Daniel Sanders and Edgar Canet
Credit: Kin Marcin / Red Bull Content Pool
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Dacia