Wadi Al-Dawasir | BETH

Stage 8 of the Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2026 got underway on Monday, January 12, covering a total of 721 km, including 483 km of timed special stage, as the world’s toughest rally continued across Saudi Arabia.

In the car category, South Africa’s Saood Fariawa (Toyota Gazoo Racing) claimed stage victory in 4:20:35, edging teammate Henk Lategan by just three seconds, while Sweden’s Mattias Ekström (Ford) finished third, 29 seconds behind.

In the overall standings, Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandriders) retained the lead in 32:32:06, holding a four-minute advantage over Ekström and six minutes and eight seconds over Lategan.

In the Stock category, Lithuania’s Rokas Baciuška (Defender Rally) won the stage in 5:06:26, ahead of American Sara Price, while Japan’s Akira Miura (Toyota Land Cruiser) placed third.

In the motorcycles, Argentina’s Luciano Benavides (Red Bull KTM Factory) topped the stage in 4:26:39, ahead of Australia’s Daniel Sanders and American Ricky Brabec.

In the Challenger class, Dutch driver Puck Klaassen (KTM X-Bow) won in 4:55:38, finishing just three seconds ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Danah Aqeel (Odyssey Academy), who secured second place in a standout national performance.

In SSV, American Brock Heger (RZR Factory) took victory in 5:04:15, while Argentina’s Gonzalez Ferioli and Portugal’s João Monteiro completed the podium.

In the Trucks category, Dutch driver Mitchel van den Brink (Eurol Rally Sport) led the stage in 5:03:42, ahead of Vaidotas Žala of Lithuania and Czech driver Martin Macík.

The rally continues on Tuesday, January 13, with Stage 9 from Wadi Al-Dawasir to the Marathon Camp, covering 532 km, including 410 km of special stage.