2026 Dakar Rally #299 Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Fabian Lurquin
Dakar Hot News

Dakar Rally Stage 13: Benavides Snatches Bike Victory, Al-Attiyah Seals Cars Crown

Posted by AR1 staff

The 2026 Dakar Rally concluded with a thrilling finale on Stage 13, a compact 105 km special loop around Yanbu that packed plenty of punches despite its brevity. Sand dunes, fast tracks, and navigational twists tested the leaders one last time, crowning new champions in dramatic fashion.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

In Bikes, Argentine Luciano Benavides delivered a masterclass in clutch performance, finishing second on the stage to overhaul overnight leader Ricky Brabec and claim his maiden Dakar title. Young Spaniard Edgar Canet stole the stage honors with a blistering run, becoming the youngest rider to win a Dakar stage at just 20 years old.

Luciano Benavides (ARG) of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing during the Rally Dakar 2026/ Red Bull Content Pool //

Brabec, the American Honda star, encountered issues mid-stage and lost crucial minutes, settling for second overall. Teammate Tosha Schareina rounded out the stage podium, while Honda’s depth shone through with multiple riders in the top mix. Benavides’ consistency across the rally—coupled with this final push—earns him the Touareg trophy after a tense battle that came down to the wire.

Luciano Benavides (ARG) of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing winner in the Bikes category of the Rally Dakar 2026

In Cars, Nasser Al-Attiyah capped a dominant rally with his sixth Dakar victory, winning the stage and extending his lead to cruise home unchallenged. The Qatari veteran’s 51st career stage win underscored his mastery, as Ford’s Mattias Ekström and Nani Roma completed the stage podium. Roma held onto second overall, with Ekström edging out Sébastien Loeb for the final podium spot in a tight scrap. Ford’s strong showing with multiple top-finishers highlights their resurgence, while Al-Attiyah’s Dacia proved unbeatable in the end.

2026 Dakar Rally #299 Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Fabian Lurquin

The 2026 Dakar Rally will be remembered for its epic duels and American flair—Brabec’s near-miss on bikes and solid runs from compatriots like Skyler Howes. Until next year, the sands of Saudi Arabia rest.

Dakar Rally: Bikes Stage 13 Results (Top 10)

Pos No. Rider (Country) Team Time Gap
1 73 Edgar Canet (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 00h 48’32” —
2 77 Luciano Benavides (ARG) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 00h 49’09” +00’37”
3 68 Tosha Schareina (ESP) Monster Energy Honda HRC 00h 49’45” +01’13”
4 42 Adrien Van Beveren (FRA) Monster Energy Honda HRC 00h 50’15” +01’43”
5 10 Skyler Howes (USA) Monster Energy Honda HRC 00h 50’50” +02’18”
6 46 Ross Branch (BOT) Hero MotoSports 00h 51’20” +02’48”
7 16 Toni Mulec (SLO) BAS World KTM Team 00h 51’55” +03’23”
8 1 Daniel Sanders (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 00h 52’30” +03’58”
9 9 Ricky Brabec (USA) Monster Energy Honda HRC 00h 52’31” +03’59”
10 14 Michael Docherty (RSA) BAS World KTM Team 00h 53’05” +04’33”

 

Dakar Rally: Bikes Overall Standings After Stage 13 (Top 10)

Pos. No. Rider (Country) Team Time Gap Penalty
1 77 Luciano Benavides (ARG) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 49h 00’41” — —
2 9 Ricky Brabec (USA) Monster Energy Honda HRC 49h 00’43” +00’02” —
3 68 Tosha Schareina (ESP) Monster Energy Honda HRC 49h 25’48” +25’07” 00h 10’00”
4 10 Skyler Howes (USA) Monster Energy Honda HRC 49h 57’23” +56’42” 00h 02’00”
5 1 Daniel Sanders (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 49h 59’13” +58’32” 00h 06’00”
6 42 Adrien Van Beveren (FRA) Monster Energy Honda HRC 50h 05’24” +1h 04’43” —
7 11 Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo (CHI) Hero MotoSports Team Rally 50h 41’17” +1h 40’36” —
8 46 Ross Branch (BOT) Hero MotoSports Team Rally 51h 47’47” +2h 47’06” 00h 06’10”
9 16 Toni Mulec (SLO) BAS World KTM Team 51h 55’23” +2h 54’42” 00h 00’10”
10 85 Preston Campbell (USA) Monster Energy Honda HRC 52h 03’40” +3h 02’59” —

 

Dakar Rally: Cars Stage 13 Results (Top 10)

Route: Yanbu to Yanbu (105 km timed special)

Pos No. Driver (Country) Co-Driver Team Time Gap
1 299 Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) Fabian Lurquin Dacia Sandriders 00h 55’12” —
2 226 Mattias Ekström (SWE) Emil Bergkvist Ford Racing 00h 55’57” +00’45”
3 227 Nani Roma (ESP) Alex Haro Ford Racing 00h 56’32” +01’20”
4 219 Sébastien Loeb (FRA) Edouard Boulanger Dacia Sandriders 00h 56’57” +01’45”
5 228 Mitch Guthrie (USA) Kellon Walch Ford Racing 00h 57’22” +02’10”
6 225 Carlos Sainz (ESP) Lucas Cruz Ford Racing 00h 57’47” +02’35”
7 204 Toby Price (AUS) Armand Monleon Toyota Gazoo Racing 00h 58’12” +03’00”
8 214 Mathieu Serradori (FRA) Loïc Minaudier Century Racing Factory Team 00h 58’42” +03’30”
9 223 Lucas Moraes (BRA) Dennis Zenz Dacia Sandriders 00h 59’12” +04’00”
10 203 Seth Quintero (USA) Andrew Short Toyota Gazoo Racing 00h 59’42” +04’30”

Dakar Rally: Cars Overall Standings After Stage 13 (Top 10)

Pos. No. Driver / Co-Driver (Country) Team Time Gap Penalty
1 299 Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Fabian Lurquin (BEL) Dacia Sandriders 48h 57’03” — 00h 02’40”
2 227 Nani Roma (ESP) / Alex Haro (ESP) Ford Racing 49h 14’25” +17’22” 00h 02’10”
3 226 Mattias Ekström (SWE) / Emil Bergkvist (SWE) Ford Racing 49h 21’09” +24’06” 00h 00’40”
4 219 Sébastien Loeb (FRA) / Edouard Boulanger (FRA) Dacia Sandriders 49h 22’38” +25’35” —
5 225 Carlos Sainz (ESP) / Lucas Cruz (ESP) Ford Racing 49h 36’11” +39’08” 00h 17’20”
6 214 Mathieu Serradori (FRA) / Loïc Minaudier (FRA) Century Racing Factory Team 49h 53’50” +56’47” 00h 02’10”
7 223 Lucas Moraes (BRA) / Dennis Zenz (GER) Dacia Sandriders 49h 54’38” +57’35” 00h 15’00”
8 204 Toby Price (AUS) / Armand Monleon (ESP) Toyota Gazoo Racing 49h 58’27” +1h 01’24” —
9 203 Seth Quintero (USA) / Andrew Short (USA) Toyota Gazoo Racing 50h 20’43” +1h 23’40” 00h 02’00”
10 228 Mitch Guthrie (USA) / Kellon Walch (USA) Ford Racing 50h 26’40” +1h 29’37” 00h 00’10”