DAKAR 2026, BENAVIDES TRIUMPHS BY 2 SECONDS!

[MotoFactory]

WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED? Was about all anyone could say about the final stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally. Ricky Brabec’s lead of three minutes, 20 seconds heading into the final 105-km stage all but assured him the victory. The timed section was less than an hour of racing, but proof that anything can and does happen in the Dakar Rally, the last day held some wild drama that saw a third win slip through Brabec’s fingers in the last minutes of a 13-stage race, a gutting end for the Monster Energy Honda team.

Luciano Benavides of the Red Bull KTM team is proof of why you simply never give up. The young Argentinian saw his slim margin to the leader turn into a sizable one on Stage 12, all but sealing the deal for the final stretch. But Benavides was not discouraged by the 3-minute 20-second gap. Instead saying “It’s not over. I will beat them.” He gave it 100% in the final stage, which was barely enough to snatch the victory from Brabec—the two-second gap the closest margin of victory ever recorded in the Dakar Rally.

“I still can’t believe it,” said Benavides. “I never stopped dreaming. I woke up today full of energy and motivation, just thinking about what I could do and trusting in myself and that was the key for this Dakar. To win by two seconds is unbelievable. I even missed the last tow corners and nearly crashed so it was right on the limit, but it paid off. I honestly can’t describe this moment. This is my ninth Dakar and it shows that if you never stop dreaming, never stop believing, and keep fighting, anything is possible.”

For Brabec, the fatal move was a navigation error along the coast of the Red Sea in the final kilometers of the race. “Six kilometers from the end of the final stage, Ricky turned left slightly too early. He didn’t take the correct track, lost a significant amount of time, and crossed the finish line just two seconds behind Luciano,” explained HRC Honda General Manager Ruben Faria. “With that small mistake, we lost the Dakar by just two seconds. Of course, we wanted more. We wanted to win, but we have to accept the result.”

Ricky Brabec was gutted, but gracious in defeat.

Brabec finished 10th on the stage. Red Bull KTM’s Edgar Canet took the win with Benavides finishing second on the day. Honda HRC’s Tosha Schareina took third on the day, and in the overall results. Skyler Howes landed fourth overall after a sixth-place finish on the final stage behind Adrien Van Beveren. Daniel Sanders managed to cling to fifth in the overall ranking despite a broken shoulder.

In Rally2, Preston Campbell ended the final stage in third behind his Honda HRC teammate Martim Ventura. The duo carded second and third in the overall standing, respectively, and both also cracked the top-10 overall—an impressive result for the Rally2 rookies.

STAGE 13

1. EDGAR CANET 00h 49’03”
2. LUCIANO BENAVIDES +00h 00’06”
3. TOSHA SCHAREINA +00h 00’47”
4. MICHAEL DOCHERTY +00h 00’50”
5. ADRIEN VAN BEVEREN +00h 01’15”
6. SKYLER HOWES +00h 01’46”
7. BRADLEY COX +00h 02’49”
8. IGNACIO “NACHO” CORNEJO +00h 03’11”
9. MARTIM VENTURA +00h 03’18”
10. RICKY BRABEC +00h 03’28”

FINAL STANDINGS

1. LUCIANO BENAVIDES 49h 00’41”
2. RICKY BRABEC +00h 00’02”
3. TOSHA SCHAREINA +00h 25’12”
4. SKYLER HOWES +00h 56’41”
5. DANIEL SANDERS +01h 03’15”
6. ADRIEN VAN BEVEREN +01h 04’46”
7. IGNACIO “NACHO” CORNEJO +01h 39’50”
8. ROSS BRANCH +02h 49’15”
9. TONI MULEC +02h 57’18”
10. PRESTON CAMPBELL +03h 01’55”

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