Yanbu | BETH

The Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2026 officially got underway on Saturday, January 3, with the prologue stage, marking the Kingdom’s seventh consecutive hosting of the world’s most demanding rally. The event is organized by the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation under the supervision of the Ministry of Sport.

The prologue stage featured a short course in Yanbu Governorate, covering a total distance of 95 km, including 22 km of timed special stage, aimed at testing competitors’ and vehicles’ readiness and determining the starting order for the upcoming rally stages.

A total of 787 drivers and navigators took part in the prologue, competing across seven categories: Cars, Motorcycles, Challenger, SSV, Trucks, in addition to 97 vehicles participating in the Dakar Classic and Mission 1000 categories.

Prologue Stage Results

Cars Category:
Swede Mattias Ekström (Ford Racing) topped the standings with a time of 10:48.7 minutes, finishing 8 seconds ahead of American Mitchell Guthrie Jr. (Ford Racing). Belgian Guillaume de Mevius (X-raid) claimed third place with the same time gap.

Stock Cars Category:
Team Defender Rally dominated the podium, with American Sara Price securing first place in 12:03.7 minutes, followed by teammate Stéphane Peterhansel of France, 4 seconds behind. Lithuanian Rokas Baciuška finished third, 5 seconds off the lead.

Motorcycles Category:
Spanish rider Edgar Canet (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) claimed first place with a time of 11:31.9 minutes, edging teammate Daniel Sanders of Australia by 3 seconds. American Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda HRC) completed the top three, 5 seconds behind the leader.

Challenger Category:
Dutch driver Paul Spierings (Rebellion–Spierings) took first place with a time of 12:31 minutes, ahead of compatriot Puck Klaassen (KTM X-Bow) by 6 seconds. Saudi driver Danah Al-Aqeel finished third, 13 seconds behind the leader.

SSV Category:
American Brock Heger (RZR Factory Racing) secured first place in 12:47 minutes, finishing 4 seconds ahead of teammate Gonçalo Guerreiro of Portugal. American Kyle Chaney (Can-Am Factory Team) placed third, 6 seconds behind the leader.

Trucks Category:
Dutch driver Mitchel van den Brink (Eurol Rally Sport) topped the category with a time of 13:05.4 minutes, followed by Lithuanian Vaidotas Žala (Nords de Rooy FPT) 3 seconds behind. Dutch driver Gert Huzink (Kübler Jongbloed Hybrid) finished third, 6 seconds off the lead.

Stage One

The first official stage of Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2026 will take place on Sunday, January 4, featuring a loop stage starting and finishing in Yanbu, with a total distance of 518 km, including 305 km of timed special stage.