Yanbu – BETH | January 17, 2026

Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah, competing for Dacia Sandriders, was crowned champion of the Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2026 in the Ultimate car category on Saturday, securing his sixth Dakar title overall and his third on Saudi soil.

The Kingdom hosted the rally for the seventh consecutive year, under the supervision of the Ministry of Sport and the organization of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation.

Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and Saudi Motorsport Company, presented the trophy to Al-Attiyah, who completed the rally in a total time of 48 hours, 56 minutes and 53 seconds.

Spain’s Nani Roma, driving for Ford Racing, finished second, 9 minutes and 42 seconds behind the leader, while Sweden’s Mattias Ekström, also of Ford Racing, claimed third place, trailing by 14 minutes and 33 seconds.

Stock Category

In the Stock category, Lithuanian driver Rokas Baciuška of Defender Rally Team took the title after an impressive performance throughout the rally, clocking a total time of 58 hours, 9 minutes and 45 seconds.

American Sara Price finished second, 3 hours and 58 minutes behind, while France’s Ronald Basso, driving for Toyota Land Cruiser, secured third place, 8 hours, 34 minutes and 29 seconds adrift.

Motorcycles

Argentine rider Luciano Benavides of Red Bull KTM claimed the motorcycles category title, completing the rally in 49 hours and 41 seconds, edging out American Ricky Brabec of Honda Energy by just two seconds.
Brabec’s teammate, Spaniard Tosha Schareina, finished third, 25 minutes and 12 seconds behind the winner.

Challenger Category

In the Challenger category, Spain’s Pau Navarro of Odyssey Academy took first place with a time of 54 hours, 46 minutes and 21 seconds.
Saudi driver Yasir Bin Saeedan, representing Nasser Racing, finished runner-up, 23 minutes and 22 seconds behind, while Argentina’s Nicolás Cavigliasso of Vertical Motorsport placed third, 35 minutes and 52 seconds back.

SSV Category

In the SSV (Side-by-Side Vehicles) category, American Brock Heger of RZR Factory claimed victory after completing the rally in 55 hours, 11 minutes and 56 seconds.
Fellow American Kyle Chaney of Can-Am Factory finished second, 1 hour, 1 minute and 39 seconds behind, followed by France’s Xavier de Soultrait, also of RZR Factory, in third place, 1 hour, 25 minutes and 25 seconds off the lead.

Trucks

In the Trucks category, Lithuanian Vaidotas Žala, driving for Nords De Rooy FPT, secured the title with a total time of 56 hours, 58 minutes and 38 seconds.
Czech driver Aleš Loprais finished second, 20 minutes and 18 seconds behind, while Dutchman Mitchel van den Brink of Eurol Rally Sport completed the podium in third place, 29 minutes and 3 seconds back.

Rally Finale

The Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2026 concluded on Saturday with the final stage held in Yanbu, covering a total distance of 138 kilometers, including 105 kilometers of timed special stage.

The rally wrapped up an exceptional edition marked by intense competition and high technical standards, further cementing Saudi Arabia’s position as a premier global destination for hosting world-class sporting events.