MOTORBIKES: THE STUDENT BECOMES THE SENSEI
Edgar Canet could hardly have scripted a better Dakar debut. On his very first RallyGP outing, the 20-year-old Spaniard stormed to his maiden stage win — and into the history books. According to available records, Canet is now the youngest rider ever to win a motorbike stage at the Dakar.
The KTM factory rider edged out teammate Daniel Sanders by a razor-thin 3 seconds, with Honda ace Ricky Brabec just 5 seconds further back. Luciano Benavides made it four KTMs in the top four, finishing 11 seconds adrift. As reigning champions, the orange squad could not have dreamed of a stronger opening statement.
In Rally2, Michael Docherty picked up exactly where he left off in Yanbu last year. The South African topped his class once again, finishing sixth overall at 19 seconds and carving out a 26-second cushion over Tobias Ebster and Konrad Dąbrowski. Honda rookies Preston Campbell (+32″) and Ruy Barbosa (+33″) completed a highly competitive top five.
Not everyone enjoyed a smooth ride, however. Neels Theric, sixth in Rally2 in 2025, saw his prologue unravel just 6 km in due to mechanical trouble.
CARS: EKSTRÖM MAKES IT THREE IN A ROW
Déjà vu in Yanbu. Just like Edgar Canet on two wheels, Mattias Ekström once again proved that newcomers can rule the roost. The Swede, who won the prologue on his Ultimate debut here in 2023, returned to the top of the timesheets three years later — this time at the wheel of a Ford Raptor. It marked the sixth Dakar prologue victory of his career.
Ford’s day went from good to great as Mitch Guthrie slotted into second place on the 22 km loop north of Yanbu, just 8 seconds behind his teammate. Guillaume de Mévius completed the podium for Mini, matching Guthrie’s time to the tenth.
Among past winners, Nasser Al Attiyah was quickest, fourth at 8 seconds. Defending champion Yazeed Al Rajhi followed at 14 seconds, with Carlos Sainz (+15″) and Nani Roma (+18″) close behind — though unlike the motorbikes, these prologue times will not affect the overall standings.
Henk Lategan, last year’s prologue winner and runner-up overall, endured early drama with a puncture just 2 km into the special. Ironically, the setback may work in his favour, as it removes him from the stage-one start order selection and places him behind some key rivals.
For Neels Theric, though, the day turned into a true ordeal. An electrical failure struck at km 6, forcing the Frenchman to stop and repair his Kove factory bike under punishing heat. He managed to get going again — only for the same ignition sensor issue to resurface with just 2.5 km remaining. Theric pushed his machine to the finish, eventually classified 115th after 2 hours, 43 minutes and 29 seconds.
The effort was all the more remarkable given that just 48 hours earlier, Theric had been recovering from a severe bout of flu. Fifteenth overall last year and sixth in Rally2, he had arrived with big ambitions:
“The heat and the sand really took it out of me, and the flu didn’t help. But this is the Dakar — you don’t quit. I wanted to finish the prologue no matter what. I’ll be starting last tomorrow, in the dust, and my hopes of a Rally2 podium are gone. Still, the race isn’t over. I’ll give it everything and try to put on a show.”
Dakar 2026 – Prologue
Pushing the bike for 3 km under 35°C
KRISTOFFERSSON’S PROLOGUE ENDS EARLY AFTER 16 KM
Sweden looked set for a dream opening day in Yanbu. Mattias Ekström had already delivered victory in Ultimate, and all eyes were on Johan Kristoffersson as he made his Dakar debut. The eight-time rallycross world champion was eager to carry the blue and yellow colours into the Saudi desert.
But drifting mastery and airborne flair were not enough to tame the terrain. At km 16, Kristoffersson and his navigator, Ola Fløene, rolled their Polaris RZR in a barrel crash. Both emerged unhurt, but serious doubts remain over whether the damaged SSV will be fit to start stage 1.
A reminder, if any were needed, that Dakar glory is never guaranteed — no matter your résumé
SÉBASTIEN LOEB: “I MANAGED TO DRIVE AT THE RIGHT PACE”
What if this edition is his turn? This year, Sébastien Loeb is tackling his 10th Dakar, a race which has resisted his domination like no other, even if he has finished in to top three on five occasions and accumulated 28 stage victories since his debut in 2016. In any event, all the indicators are positive because he produced a series of three consecutive podium finishes in the W2RC season, including a very first victory on the Rallye du Maroc: “In recent races, I managed to drive at the right pace and chose the right moments to attack,” admitted the man from Alsace. “That said, we won by a whisker there was hardly anything in it. Our competitors are hot on our heels. By going on allout attack in Morocco, we all ended up with almost the same times, which means that it’s very open”. The Dacia Sandriders team is also counting on Nasser Al Attiyah to put one of its four cars on the top step of the podium. The Qatari driver already boasts 5 winner’s trophies at home in Doha and has even dropped out of the world shooting championships that will take place in Qatar in several days to maximise his hopes of reacquainting himself with the thrill of winning the Dakar. He still strongly believes in his chances and is not surrendering to the emerging generation: “It is still my dream to win the Dakar. The competition is tough and we are happy to have this challenge. I’m continuing to improve: I’m more experienced and I still feel good on all kinds of terrain, both on sandy and rocky tracks” . In late 2025, Al Attiyah was deprived of a 10th world title (W2RC + FIA RallyRaid World Cup) by one of the most prominent drivers at the moment, Lucas Moraes, with whom he will be sharing meals in the Dacia paddock canteen. The Brazilian, who finished 3rd on his Dakar debut in 2023, will make his first competitive appearance in the Sandrider on the prologue but intends to show what he is made of: “I hope that we can keep going steady and put on a good fight in the second week” .
The RacerViews info
By Matt Hancock
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