Yanbu | BETH
Sunday, 4 January 2026

The first stage of the Dakar Saudi Arabia 2026 Rally kicked off on Sunday, as the Kingdom hosts the world-renowned rally for the seventh consecutive year, organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation under the supervision of the Ministry of Sport.

The opening stage started and finished in Yanbu, covering a total distance of 518 km, including 305 km of timed special stages.

Stage One Results

Cars Category
Belgian driver Guillaume de Mévius (X-raid) claimed first place with a time of 3:07:49, finishing 40 seconds ahead of Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandriders). Czech driver Martin Prokop (Orlen Jipocar) secured third place, 1 minute and 27 seconds behind the leader.

Stock Cars Category
Lithuanian Rokas Baciuška topped the category with a time of 4:04:59, followed by France’s Ronald Basso (+6:49 minutes), while Japan’s Akira Miura finished third (+8:18 minutes).

Motorcycles Category
Spain’s Edgar Canet (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) led the stage with a time of 3:16:11, ahead of Australia’s Daniel Sanders by 1 minute and 2 seconds, with American Ricky Brabec (Honda Energy) third, 1 minute and 32 seconds behind the leader.

Challenger Category
Argentine driver David Zille (BBR Motorsport) won the stage in 3:32:50, edging Dutch driver Paul Spierings by 42 seconds, while fellow Argentine Nicolás Cavigliasso finished third (+2:03 minutes).

SSV Category
French driver Xavier de Soultrait (RZR Factory) claimed first place with a time of 3:38:45, ahead of Portugal’s Alexandre Pinto by 3:34 minutes, while American Brock Heger finished third (+3:48 minutes).

Trucks Category
Czech driver Ales Loprais (Instatrade Loprais Team) topped the category with a time of 3:42:15, finishing 1 minute and 47 seconds ahead of Dutch driver Mitchel van den Brink, with Czech Martin Macik third (+7:19 minutes).

The rally continues on Monday, 5 January 2026, with the second stage starting from Yanbu and ending in AlUla, covering a total distance of 504 km, including 400 km of timed special stages**.