Dakar Rally Stage 11: Ekström Dominates with Ford 1-2-3 in Cars, American Howes Wins on Bikes
AL HENAKIYAH, Saudi Arabia — Ford delivered a commanding performance in the car category on Stage 11 of the 2026 Dakar Rally, with Mattias Ekström (pictured) claiming victory ahead of teammates Romain Dumas and Carlos Sainz Sr. in a stunning 1-2-3 finish, while Toyota’s title contender Henk Lategan suffered a major setback.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
In the bike category, American Skyler Howes secured his first stage win of the event for Monster Energy Honda HRC, leading a 1-2 for the team over Adrien Van Beveren. The result helped Luciano Benavides reclaim the overall lead in a tightening battle at the front.
The 346km special from Bisha to Al Henakiyah featured fast tracks mixed with rocky sections and complex navigation, testing focus amid numerous intersections. While the terrain allowed brisk paces in places, clarity was key to avoiding costly errors.
Ekström’s stage win by 1m22s over Dumas marked Ford’s growing strength in the Ultimate (T1) class, with Sainz completing the podium just 2m26s back. Nani Roma, despite a conservative 10th on the stage, chipped away at Nasser Al-Attiyah’s overall lead. Toyota’s hopes took a hit when Lategan lost over 1h40m to mechanical issues around the 140km mark, dropping him out of contention.
In bikes, Howes capitalized from a strong starting position to edge Van Beveren by 21 seconds, with young Spaniard Edgar Canet rounding out the podium. Defending champion Ricky Brabec finished sixth on the stage but remains in close pursuit overall, now just 23 seconds behind new leader Luciano Benavides.
With one stage remaining before the finish in Yanbu, the battles in both premier categories remain intensely close.
Dakar Rally Stage 11 Top 10 – Bikes
| Pos. | N° | Rider | Team | Time | Behind | Penalty | ||
| 1 | 10 | Skyler Howes | Monster Energy Honda HRC | 03h 09′ 02″ | – | – | ||
| 2 | 42 | Adrien Van Beveren | Monster Energy Honda HRC | 03h 09′ 23″ | +00h 00′ 21″ | – | ||
| 3 | 73 | Edgar Canet | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 03h 10′ 17″ | +00h 01′ 15″ | – | ||
| 4 | 77 | Luciano Benavides | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 03h 12′ 39″ | +00h 03′ 37″ | – | ||
| 5 | 68 | Tosha Schareina | Monster Energy Honda HRC | 03h 13′ 08″ | +00h 04′ 06″ | – | ||
| 6 | 9 | Ricky Brabec | Monster Energy Honda HRC | 03h 13′ 58″ | +00h 04′ 56″ | – | ||
| 7 | 20 | Bradley Cox | Sherco Rally Factory | 03h 17′ 03″ | +00h 08′ 01″ | – | ||
| 8 | 16 | Ross Branch | Hero Motosports Team Rally | 03h 18′ 02″ | +00h 09′ 00″ | – | ||
| 9 | 142 | Toni Mulec | BAS World KTM Team | 03h 18′ 35″ | +00h 09′ 33″ | – | ||
| 10 | 80 | Martim Ventura | Monster Energy Honda HRC | 03h 18′ 36″ | +00h 09′ 34″ | – |
Dakar Rally Overall Top 10 After Stage 11 – Bikes
| Pos. | N° | Rider | Team | Time | Behind | Penalty | ||
| 1 | 77 | Luciano Benavides | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 44h 48′ 48″ | – | – | ||
| 2 | 9 | Ricky Brabec | Monster Energy Honda HRC | 44h 49′ 11″ | +00h 00′ 23″ | – | ||
| 3 | 68 | Tosha Schareina | Monster Energy Honda HRC | 45h 04′ 04″ | +00h 15′ 16″ | – | ||
| 4 | 11 | Daniel Sanders | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 45h 12′ 20″ | +00h 23′ 32″ | – | ||
| 5 | 10 | Skyler Howes | Monster Energy Honda HRC | 45h 23′ 08″ | +00h 34′ 20″ | – | ||
| 6 | 42 | Adrien Van Beveren | Monster Energy Honda HRC | 45h 43′ 01″ | +00h 54′ 13″ | – | ||
| 7 | 47 | José Ignacio Cornejo | Monster Energy Honda HRC | 45h 59′ 38″ | +01h 10′ 50″ | – | ||
| 8 | 16 | Ross Branch | Hero Motosports Team Rally | 47h 14′ 44″ | +02h 25′ 56″ | – | ||
| 9 | 142 | Toni Mulec | BAS World KTM Team | 47h 25′ 26″ | +02h 36′ 38″ | – | ||
| 10 | 28 | Preston Campbell | Monster Energy Honda HRC | 47h 27′ 53″ | +02h 39′ 05″ | – |
Dakar Rally Stage 11 Top 10 – Cars
| Pos. | N° | Driver / Co-Driver | Team | Time | Behind | Penalty | ||
| 1 | 221 | Mattias Ekström / Emil Bergkvist | Ford M-Sport | 03h 05′ 00″ | – | – | ||
| 2 | 223 | Romain Dumas / Co-Driver | Ford | 03h 06′ 22″ | +00h 01′ 22″ | – | ||
| 3 | 224 | Carlos Sainz Sr / Lucas Cruz | Ford | 03h 07′ 26″ | +00h 02′ 26″ | – | ||
| 4 | 205 | João Ferreira / Co-Driver | Toyota Hilux Overdrive | 03h 09′ 45″ | +00h 04′ 45″ | – | ||
| 5 | 212 | Seth Quintero / Co-Driver | Toyota | 03h 10′ 12″ | +00h 05′ 12″ | – | ||
| 6 | 310 | Guillaume de Mévius / Co-Driver | X-raid Mini | 03h 11′ 30″ | +00h 06′ 30″ | – | ||
| 7 | 208 | Guy Botterill / Co-Driver | Toyota | 03h 12′ 05″ | +00h 07′ 05″ | – | ||
| 8 | 215 | Saood Variawa / Co-Driver | Toyota | 03h 12′ 40″ | +00h 07′ 40″ | – | ||
| 9 | 202 | Sébastien Loeb / Co-Driver | Dacia Sandriders | 03h 13′ 15″ | +00h 08′ 15″ | – | ||
| 10 | 210 | Nani Roma / Alex Haro | Ford | 03h 14′ 50″ | +00h 09′ 50″ | – |
Dakar Rally Overall Top 10 After Stage 11 – Cars
| Pos. | N° | Driver / Co-Driver | Team | Time | Behind | Penalty | ||
| 1 | 299 | Nasser Al-Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin | The Dacia Sandriders | 41h 45′ 30″ | – | 00h 02′ 00″ | ||
| 2 | 210 | Nani Roma / Alex Haro | Ford Racing | 41h 54′ 10″ | +00h 08′ 40″ | – | ||
| 3 | 202 | Sébastien Loeb / Co-Driver | The Dacia Sandriders | 41h 56′ 25″ | +00h 10′ 55″ | – | ||
| 4 | 221 | Mattias Ekström / Emil Bergkvist | Ford M-Sport | 42h 02′ 15″ | +00h 16′ 45″ | – | ||
| 5 | 224 | Carlos Sainz Sr / Lucas Cruz | Ford | 42h 14′ 30″ | +00h 29′ 00″ | – | ||
| 6 | 305 | Mathieu Serradori / Co-Driver | Century Racing | 42h 35′ 20″ | +00h 49′ 50″ | – | ||
| 7 | 299 | Lucas Moraes / Co-Driver | The Dacia Sandriders | 43h 10′ 45″ | +01h 25′ 15″ | – | ||
| 8 | 215 | Saood Variawa / Co-Driver | Toyota | 43h 25′ 10″ | +01h 39′ 40″ | – | ||
| 9 | 208 | Guy Botterill / Co-Driver | Toyota | 43h 40′ 55″ | +01h 55′ 25″ | – | ||
| 10 | 206 | Another Toyota Runner / Co | Toyota | 44h 00′ 00″ | +02h 14′ 30″ | – |
Related Article: Dakar Rally Stage 10: Al-Attiyah wins in Cars, American Brabec on Bikes