Dakar Rally Stage 8: Highlights and Results

The 2026 Dakar Rally continued its relentless grind on January 12 with Stage 8, a massive 481km timed special (within a 717km total loop) from Wadi Ad-Dawasir back to Wadi Ad-Dawasir.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Marking the rally’s return to this region since 2022, the longest special of the year demanded versatility: high-speed off-road plateaus, intricate canyon crossings through vegetation, sudden direction changes, and navigation that punished any lapse in concentration. After the rest day, crews faced fatigue, but the stage delivered thrilling battles and tight margins across the board.

In the Bikes category, Luciano Benavides (#77, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) once again showed mastery, powering to his second consecutive stage win in 04h 26′ 39”. Overall leader Daniel Sanders (#1, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) fought back strongly for second, closing the gap dramatically to just 10 seconds overall. Ricky Brabec (#9, Monster Energy Honda HRC) secured third on the stage and climbed to third in the standings, while Tosha Schareina (#68) and Adrien Van Beveren (#42) kept Honda in the mix. The top three are now separated by under five minutes, setting up an explosive fight in the dunes ahead.

Luciano Benavides on his KTM of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team during the Stage 6 of the Dakar 2026, on January 9, 2026 between Haïl and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia // Florent Gooden / DPPI / Red Bull Content Pool // — Luciano Benavides on his KTM of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team during the Dakar 2026, between Haïl and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia // Florent Gooden / DPPI / Red Bull Content Pool //

In the Cars (Ultimate Class), Toyota struck back with Saood Variawa (#213, Toyota Gazoo Racing SA) edging out teammate Henk Lategan (#202, Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) by just three seconds for the stage win in 04h 20′ 35”. Mattias Ekström (#226, Ford Racing) took third to stay close overall, while Nasser Al-Attiyah (#299, The Dacia Sandriders) limited losses in fifth to maintain his lead. Seth Quintero (#203), Carlos Sainz (#225), and Sébastien Loeb (#219) delivered strong top-10 finishes, with the multi-manufacturer war tighter than ever—gaps remain small, and attrition is rising.

Saood Variawa (#213, Toyota Gazoo Racing SA). Image supplied by Toyota

As the rally pushes toward even more demanding terrain, including upcoming marathon stages, the margins are razor-thin and the pressure immense. Benavides surges on bikes, Al-Attiyah defends in cars, but with navigation traps and endurance tests looming, anything can happen in the world’s toughest rally!

Dakar Rally: Bikes Stage 8 Results (Top 10)

Pos.	N°	Rider	Team	Time	Behind	Penalty
1	77	Luciano Benavides	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	04h 26′ 39”	–	–
2	1	Daniel Sanders	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	04h 31′ 29”	+00h 04′ 50”	–
3	9	Ricky Brabec	Monster Energy Honda HRC	04h 31′ 41”	+00h 05′ 02”	–
4	68	Tosha Schareina	Monster Energy Honda HRC	04h 36′ 26”	+00h 09′ 47”	–
5	42	Adrien Van Beveren	Monster Energy Honda HRC	04h 38′ 35”	+00h 11′ 56”	–
6	10	Skyler Howes	Monster Energy Honda HRC	04h 39′ 11”	+00h 12′ 32”	–
7	73	Edgar Canet	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	04h 41′ 45”	+00h 15′ 06”	–
8	11	Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	04h 43′ 52”	+00h 17′ 13”	–
9	66	Neels Theric	Kove Factory Racing	04h 45′ 44”	+00h 19′ 05”	–
10	84	Martim Ventura	Monster Energy Honda HRC	04h 45′ 59”	+00h 19′ 20”	–

Dakar Rally: Bikes Overall Standings After Stage 8 (Top 10)

Pos.	N°	Rider	Team	Time	Behind	Penalty
1	77	Luciano Benavides	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	33h 18′ 50”	–	–
2	1	Daniel Sanders	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	33h 19′ 00”	+00h 00′ 10”	00h 06′ 00”
3	9	Ricky Brabec	Monster Energy Honda HRC	33h 23′ 37”	+00h 04′ 47”	–
4	68	Tosha Schareina	Monster Energy Honda HRC	33h 39′ 03”	+00h 20′ 13”	00h 10′ 00”
5	10	Skyler Howes	Monster Energy Honda HRC	33h 59′ 56”	+00h 41′ 06”	00h 02′ 00”
6	11	Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	34h 04′ 48”	+00h 45′ 58”	–
7	42	Adrien Van Beveren	Monster Energy Honda HRC	34h 22′ 03”	+01h 03′ 13”	–
8	46	Ross Branch	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	35h 13′ 52”	+01h 55′ 02”	00h 06′ 10”
9	85	Preston Campbell	Monster Energy Honda HRC	35h 20′ 18”	+02h 01′ 28”	–
10	16	Toni Mulec	Bas World KTM Team	35h 29′ 54”	+02h 11′ 04”	00h 00′ 10”

Dakar Rally: Cars Stage 8 Results (Top 10)

Pos.	N°	Driver / Co-Driver	Team	Time	Behind	Penalty
1	213	Saood Variawa / François Cazalet	Toyota Gazoo Racing SA	04h 20′ 35”	–	–
2	202	Henk Lategan / Brett Cummings	Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC	04h 20′ 38”	+00h 00′ 03”	–
3	226	Mattias Ekström / Emil Bergkvist	Ford Racing	04h 21′ 04”	+00h 00′ 29”	–
4	203	Seth Quintero / Andrew Short	Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC	04h 21′ 12”	+00h 00′ 37”	–
5	299	Nasser Al-Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin	The Dacia Sandriders	04h 21′ 51”	+00h 01′ 16”	–
6	225	Carlos Sainz / Lucas Cruz	Ford Racing	04h 22′ 04”	+00h 01′ 29”	–
7	222	Guillaume de Mévius / Mathieu Baumel	X-Raid Team	04h 22′ 35”	+00h 02′ 00”	–
8	219	Sébastien Loeb / Edouard Boulanger	The Dacia Sandriders	04h 23′ 37”	+00h 03′ 02”	–
9	227	Nani Roma / Alex Haro	Ford Racing	04h 24′ 13”	+00h 03′ 38”	–
10	224	Brian Baragwanath / Leonard Cremer	Century Racing Factory Team	04h 24′ 23”	+00h 03′ 48”	–

Dakar Rally: Cars Overall Standings After Stage 8 (Top 10)

Pos.	N°	Driver / Co-Driver	Team	Time	Behind	Penalty
1	299	Nasser Al-Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin	The Dacia Sandriders	32h 32′ 06”	–	00h 02′ 00”
2	226	Mattias Ekström / Emil Bergkvist	Ford Racing	32h 36′ 06”	+00h 04′ 00”	00h 00′ 30”
3	202	Henk Lategan / Brett Cummings	Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC	32h 38′ 14”	+00h 06′ 08”	–
4	227	Nani Roma / Alex Haro	Ford Racing	32h 41′ 43”	+00h 09′ 37”	–
5	225	Carlos Sainz / Lucas Cruz	Ford Racing	32h 42′ 45”	+00h 10′ 39”	00h 01′ 10”
6	219	Sébastien Loeb / Edouard Boulanger	The Dacia Sandriders	32h 49′ 31”	+00h 17′ 25”	–
7	228	Mitch Guthrie / Kellon Walch	Ford Racing	32h 55′ 06”	+00h 23′ 00”	00h 00′ 10”
8	214	Mathieu Serradori / Loïc Minaudier	Century Racing Factory Team	32h 57′ 10”	+00h 25′ 04”	00h 00′ 10”
9	223	Lucas Moraes / Dennis Zenz	The Dacia Sandriders	33h 02′ 01”	+00h 29′ 55”	–
10	240	Joao Ferreira / Filipe Palmeiro	Toyota Gazoo Racing SA	33h 07′ 14”	+00h 35′ 08”	00h 02′ 00”

The rally’s toughest challenges lie ahead—marathon legs, deeper dunes, and unforgiving navigation will separate the contenders from the pretenders. Stay tuned as the 2026 Dakar Rally heats up!