Dakar Rally Stage 7: Key Highlights and Analysis

The 2026 Dakar Rally pushed deeper into Saudi Arabia’s southern deserts on January 11 with Stage 7, a demanding 462km timed special (within an 876km total route) from Riyadh to Wadi Ad-Dawasir. The stage blended high-speed sections, tricky navigation, rocky terrain, and dune crossings that tested crews’ precision and endurance after the Riyadh rest day. Mechanical issues and navigation errors began to take a toll, heightening the intensity.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

In the Bikes category, Luciano Benavides (#77, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) dominated with a flawless performance, securing the stage win in 04h 00′ 56”. Edgar Canet (#73, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took second, while Adrien Van Beveren (#42, Monster Energy Honda HRC) rounded out the podium. Overall leader Daniel Sanders (#1, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) limited damage with a solid fourth, maintaining his edge despite Honda’s strong challenge. Tosha Schareina (#68) and Ricky Brabec (#9) stayed in contention, with the top riders separated by tight margins heading into tougher dune-heavy days.

Luciano Benavides (ARG) of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing races during stage 06 of Rally Dakar 2026 from Hail to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 09, 2026 // Marcelo Maragni / Red Bull Content Pool //

In the Cars (Ultimate Class), Mattias Ekström (#226, Ford Racing) claimed a commanding stage victory in 03h 44′ 22”, marking a big win for Ford and boosting their momentum. Joao Ferreira (#240, Toyota Gazoo Racing SA) finished second, followed by Mitch Guthrie (#228, Ford Racing) in third. Nasser Al-Attiyah (#299, The Dacia Sandriders) held firm in the overall lead despite a competitive top 10, with Sébastien Loeb (#219), Carlos Sainz (#225), and Nani Roma (#227) delivering strong runs. The multi-brand fight remains razor-close, with gaps under 30 minutes overall.

Mattias Ekstrom and Emil Bergkvist during the Stage 6 of the Dakar 2026 on January 9, 2026 between Ha’il and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia // Kin Marcin / Red Bull Content Pool — Mattias Ekstrom and Emil Bergkvist during the Stage 7 of the Dakar 2026 on January 11, 2026 between Ha’il and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia // Kin Marcin / Red Bull Content Pool

As the rally ventures into the challenging Wadi Ad-Dawasir area and marathon stages loom, navigation, reliability, and strategy will be key—the battle for victory is fiercer than ever!

Dakar Rally: Bikes Stage 7 Results (Top 10)

Pos.	N°	Rider	Team	Time	Behind	Penalty
1	77	Luciano Benavides	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	04h 00′ 56”	–	–
2	73	Edgar Canet	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	04h 05′ 43”	+00h 04′ 47”	–
3	42	Adrien Van Beveren	Monster Energy Honda HRC	04h 05′ 53”	+00h 04′ 57”	–
4	1	Daniel Sanders	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	04h 06′ 31”	+00h 05′ 35”	–
5	10	Skyler Howes	Monster Energy Honda HRC	04h 07′ 42”	+00h 06′ 46”	–
6	14	Michael Docherty	Bas World KTM Team	04h 08′ 34”	+00h 07′ 38”	–
7	68	Tosha Schareina	Monster Energy Honda HRC	04h 09′ 41”	+00h 08′ 45”	–
8	46	Ross Branch	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	04h 09′ 43”	+00h 08′ 47”	00h 00′ 10”
9	11	Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	04h 10′ 06”	+00h 09′ 10”	–
10	9	Ricky Brabec	Monster Energy Honda HRC	04h 10′ 11”	+00h 09′ 15”	–

Dakar Rally: Bikes Overall Standings After Stage 7 (Top 10)

Pos.	N°	Rider	Team	Time	Behind	Penalty
1	1	Daniel Sanders	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	28h 47′ 31”	–	00h 06′ 00”
2	9	Ricky Brabec	Monster Energy Honda HRC	28h 51′ 56”	+00h 04′ 25”	–
3	77	Luciano Benavides	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	28h 52′ 11”	+00h 04′ 40”	–
4	68	Tosha Schareina	Monster Energy Honda HRC	29h 02′ 37”	+00h 15′ 06”	00h 10′ 00”
5	10	Skyler Howes	Monster Energy Honda HRC	29h 20′ 45”	+00h 33′ 14”	00h 02′ 00”
6	11	Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	29h 20′ 56”	+00h 33′ 25”	–
7	42	Adrien Van Beveren	Monster Energy Honda HRC	29h 43′ 28”	+00h 55′ 57”	–
8	46	Ross Branch	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	30h 26′ 53”	+01h 39′ 22”	00h 06′ 10”
9	85	Preston Campbell	Monster Energy Honda HRC	30h 31′ 03”	+01h 43′ 32”	–
10	16	Toni Mulec	Bas World KTM Team	30h 42′ 10”	+01h 54′ 39”	00h 00′ 10”

Dakar Rally: Cars Stage 7 Results (Top 10)

Pos.	N°	Driver / Co-Driver	Team	Time	Behind	Penalty
1	226	Mattias Ekström / Emil Bergkvist	Ford Racing	03h 44′ 22”	–	–
2	240	Joao Ferreira / Filipe Palmeiro	Toyota Gazoo Racing SA	03h 48′ 49”	+00h 04′ 27”	–
3	228	Mitch Guthrie / Kellon Walch	Ford Racing	03h 49′ 17”	+00h 04′ 55”	–
4	204	Toby Price / Armand Monleon	Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC	03h 49′ 23”	+00h 05′ 01”	–
5	223	Lucas Moraes / Dennis Zenz	The Dacia Sandriders	03h 49′ 39”	+00h 05′ 17”	–
6	219	Sébastien Loeb / Edouard Boulanger	The Dacia Sandriders	03h 49′ 49”	+00h 05′ 27”	–
7	203	Seth Quintero / Andrew Short	Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC	03h 49′ 54”	+00h 05′ 32”	–
8	214	Mathieu Serradori / Loïc Minaudier	Century Racing Factory Team	03h 50′ 22”	+00h 06′ 00”	00h 00′ 10”
9	225	Carlos Sainz / Lucas Cruz	Ford Racing	03h 50′ 23”	+00h 06′ 01”	–
10	227	Nani Roma / Alex Haro	Ford Racing	03h 50′ 58”	+00h 06′ 36”	–

Dakar Rally: Cars Overall Standings After Stage 7 (Top 10)

Pos.	N°	Driver / Co-Driver	Team	Time	Behind	Penalty
1	299	Nasser Al-Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin	The Dacia Sandriders	28h 10′ 15”	–	00h 02′ 00”
2	226	Mattias Ekström / Emil Bergkvist	Ford Racing	28h 15′ 02”	+00h 04′ 47”	00h 00′ 30”
3	227	Nani Roma / Alex Haro	Ford Racing	28h 17′ 30”	+00h 07′ 15”	–
4	202	Henk Lategan / Brett Cummings	Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC	28h 17′ 36”	+00h 07′ 21”	–
5	225	Carlos Sainz / Lucas Cruz	Ford Racing	28h 20′ 41”	+00h 10′ 26”	00h 01′ 10”
6	219	Sébastien Loeb / Edouard Boulanger	The Dacia Sandriders	28h 25′ 54”	+00h 15′ 39”	–
7	228	Mitch Guthrie / Kellon Walch	Ford Racing	28h 29′ 35”	+00h 19′ 20”	00h 00′ 10”
8	214	Mathieu Serradori / Loïc Minaudier	Century Racing Factory Team	28h 32′ 20”	+00h 22′ 05”	00h 00′ 10”
9	223	Lucas Moraes / Dennis Zenz	The Dacia Sandriders	28h 34′ 54”	+00h 24′ 39”	–
10	205	Eryk Goczał / Szymon Gospodarczyk	Energylandia Rally Team	28h 35′ 40”	+00h 25′ 25”	00h 00′ 20”

The southern dunes and marathon legs await—expect more shocks as the 2026 Dakar Rally enters its decisive phase! Stay tuned for the latest from the sands.