Dacia announces exit from Rally-Raid, rules out 2027 Dakar
Dacia has confirmed that it will compete in the entire 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship before bringing its project to a close at the season-ending event in Abu Dhabi – ruling out a return to the Dakar in 2027. The tracks had barely cleared in the desert following the latest triumph for Dacia at the 2026 […]
Luciano Benavides defeats Ricky Brabec by two seconds in dramatic Dakar Rally finish
KTM rider Luciano Benavides edged out Honda rival Ricky Brabec by just two seconds to claim a sensational Dakar Rally victory on the final day. Following a largely one-sided 2025 edition won by Daniel Sanders, the motorcycle category returned to its usual intensity this year, with several riders remaining firmly in contention throughout the two-week […]
Dakar 2026 at ‘F1 level’ after close fight
Ford driver Nani Roma believes the Dakar Rally has reached a level of competitiveness comparable to Formula 1, after finishing second in a closely-fought 2026 event. With Ford and Dacia both now established in cross-country rallying and Toyota introducing a brand-new Hilux, the level of competition in Dakar’s cars category rose several notches this year. […]
Nasser Al-Attiyah wins to extend overall lead
Nasser Al-Attiyah moved a step closer to a sixth Dakar Rally crown by claiming victory on the penultimate stage of the 2026 event on Friday. The Dacia driver led the majority of the 311km test between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, with Ford duo Mitch Guthrie and Mattias Ekstrom only briefly interrupting his hold during the […]
Ford’s Nani Roma survives late crash and fuel drama to keep Dakar podium hopes alive
Nani Roma described Stage 12 of the 2026 Dakar Rally as “the toughest day of my career” after a late crash, mechanical damage and a fuel shortage nearly ended his podium hopes. With the finish line in sight, the factory Ford driver lost one of the wheels on his Raptor, completing the timed part of […]
What Ford is doing differently at the 2026 Dakar
You hear it before you see it – that’s the motto of the Ford Raptor T1+ at the 2026 Dakar Rally. At the heart of the prototype lies a 5.0-litre Coyote Darkhorse V8 engine, featuring 32 valves, a bore of 93 millimetres and a stroke of 92.7 millimetres. By using a naturally aspirated engine, Ford is […]
Mattias Ekstrom wins stage after late drama for Henk Lategan
Ford’s Mattias Ekstrom has been gifted victory on Stage 7 of the 2026 Dakar Rally after long-time leader Henk Lategan hit trouble in the closing part and dropped over 10 minutes. Lategan had been poised to take both the stage win and the overall lead as the Toyota driver headed the pack at the final […]
Could time bonuses solve the “yo-yo effect” at the Dakar Rally?
The overall classification of the Dakar Rally remains tight, with the top-seven drivers separated by under 20 minutes. But daily stage results regularly saw surprises and a pendulum effect, as anyone finishing among the front positions on one stage had almost no chance of making the top 10 the next day. The stage winner has […]
Tyre Lottery at the 2026 Dakar Rally: What’s going wrong?
During the first week of the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, there have been numerous tyre failures. Almost every team and vehicle in the top class has been affected, with some drivers suffering multiple punctures in a single day. On some stages, pit stops for tyre changes were introduced as some teams were even […]