Yanbu | BETH
27 Rajab 1447 AH / January 16, 2026

Ahead of the conclusion of the Rally Dakar Saudi Arabia 2026, Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah maintained his grip on the overall lead in the cars category, while Saudi driver Dania Akeel continued her impressive performance by securing second place in the Lightweight Vehicles “Challenger” category.

Stage 12 Details

Competitors in the Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia launched Stage 12 on Friday, running from Al-Hanakiyah to Yanbu over a total distance of 720 km, including 311 km of timed special stage.

In the cars category, Al-Attiyah, driving for Dacia Sandriders, claimed first place in the stage with a time of 3:21:52, finishing 1 minute and 4 seconds ahead of American Mitch Guthrie of Ford Racing. Australian Toby Price of Toyota Gazoo Racing placed third, 1 minute and 25 seconds behind the leader.

With this result, Al-Attiyah extended his overall lead to 16 minutes and 2 seconds over Spain’s Nani Roma (Ford Racing), who moved into second place, while Sweden’s Mattias Ekström sits third, 23 minutes and 21 seconds off the lead.

Other Categories

Stock Cars: The Defender Rally Team swept the top three positions, with American Sara Price winning the stage in 4:17:35, ahead of France’s Stéphane Peterhansel, while Lithuania’s Rokas Baciuška finished third.

Motorcycles: American Ricky Brabec of Honda Energy took first place in 3:19:01, ahead of Argentina’s Luciano Benavides, with Spain’s Tosha Schareina finishing third.

Lightweight Vehicles – Challenger: Argentina’s Kevin Benavides claimed victory in 3:44:52, followed by Saudi Dania Akeel in second place, while Argentina’s David Zille finished third.

SSV Category: Argentina’s González Ferioli of Can-Am Factory LATAM topped the stage in 3:51:36, ahead of Portugal’s João Monteiro, with American Hunter Miller placing third.

Trucks: Dutch driver Mitchel van den Brink of Eurol Rally Sport posted the fastest time of 3:58:47, beating Lithuania’s Vaidotas Žala, while Czech Martin Soltys finished third.

Final Stage

The Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia concludes on Saturday with Stage 13, the final leg in Yanbu, covering a total distance of 138 km, including 105 km of timed special stage.