Riyadh | BETH

Stage 7 of the Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2026 was completed on Sunday, January 11, covering a total distance of 877 km from Riyadh to Wadi Al-Dawasir, including 459 km of timed special stage.

Cars

Swedish driver Mattias Ekström (Ford Racing) claimed the stage victory in 3:44:22, finishing 4:27 ahead of João Ferreira (Toyota Gazoo Racing), with Mitchell Guthrie (Ford Racing) third at +4:55.

In the overall standings, Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider) retained the lead with a cumulative time of 28:10:15, holding a 4:47 advantage over Ekström, while Nani Roma sits third at +7:15.

Stock

Defender Rally swept the podium:

Stéphane Peterhansel – 4:20:29

Rokas Baciuška – +21 seconds

Sara Price – +6:25

Motorcycles

Luciano Benavides (Red Bull KTM) took the stage win in 4:00:56, ahead of Edgar Canet by 4:47, with Adrien Van Beveren (Honda Energy) third at +4:57.

Challenger

Kevin Benavides (Odyssey Academy) won in 4:22:57, beating Yasser Bin Saidán (Nasser Racing) by 4:39, while Nicolás Cavigliasso finished third.

SSV

Jeremías González Ferioli (Can-Am Factory LATAM) secured first place in 4:32:58, just 7 seconds ahead of Kyle Chaney, with João Monteiro third at +9 seconds.

Trucks

Vaidotas Žala (De Rooy FPT) topped the category in 4:27:24, followed by Ales Loprais at +1:23, and Martin Macík in third.

Stage 8 will start on Monday, January 12, from Wadi Al-Dawasir, covering 721 km including 483 km of special stage, with motorcycles starting at 07:00 and cars at 09:05.