Nasser Al-Attiyah took Dakar Rally win in 2026 in Cars, as Kevin Benavides was victorious in Bikes, while Ford revealed Hypercar line-up.
Cars –
“The race has never been so wide open in the history of the Dakar”, declared the top drivers in unison, facing an unprecedented field of champions and machines in the 48th edition. The unanimity of this verdict adds even more weight to the 2026 title, which adds a sixth Bedouin trophy to Al Attiyah’s cabinet. This win carries all the more weight for having been secured through a master class in control from start to finish. It was a model of composure, a near-flawless strategy and a battle plan worthy of Alexander the Great built around two decisive days on which it was crucial to secure the ideal start position. Stage 6, a 300 km sea of dunes, is where the architect laid the first stone of his foundation. Al Attiyah began the return leg to Yanbu at the helm of an elite field that was indeed tighter than ever (the top 5 was squeezed into just 12 minutes at the rest day). Of course, he had to hold his own through the second marathon stage, but on the day following that delicate test he placed the capstone atop the monument. Second in the stage, behind Mathieu Serradori, Al Attiyah made the decisive break. To add the finishing touches, the maestro of the tracks charged towards Yanbu to claim the penultimate stage for glory and history. His record-equalling fiftieth special win places him alongside the giants Ari Vatanen and Stéphane Peterhansel. Michelangelo would have been proud!
The podium spots behind Dacia Sandrider no. 299 also turned into a game of musical chairs in the final days. Henk Lategan, the runner-up to Al Rajhi in 2025, was the last chance to see a Toyota Hilux at the summit, but a mechanical sank him in stage 10. A rear wheel hub bearing gave way at the worst possible time, right as he was trying to erase his 12-minute deficit to Al Attiyah. Ever-present throughout the Dakar, with six specials won over fourteen days of racing, the Ford Raptors have always had at least one car in the top 3. On the eve of the finish, already in Yanbu, Nani Roma made a Herculean effort to salvage his second place in the nick of time after breaking his front end and receiving help from several crews to reach the bivouac on time. The battle for the third step of the podium went down to the wire, with Mattias Ekström determined to defend his position over the final 105 km against Sébastien Loeb, whom he led by only 29 seconds. The Swede did more than just retain the podium spot he earned in 2025. He finished his Dakar exactly as he had started it in the Yanbu prologue, with a victory. Meanwhile, the Frenchman finished the Dakar outside the top 3 for the first time, 37 seconds shy of the podium.
A little further back, but with gaps that have never been so narrow at the finish, the Toyotas had to settle for the final three spots in the top 10, with Toby Price eighth at 52 minutes, Seth Quintero ninth at 1 h 15 and Saood Variawa tenth at 1 h 23. Meanwhile, Mathieu Serradori once again claimed the sixth place he had taken last year, this time with a stage win to boot. Among his former two-wheel-drive companions, the battle of the MD Rallye Optimus buggies was won by Simon Vitse (fourteenth) ahead of Christian Lavieille (twentieth). This year, the Stock class saw the arrival of the manufacturer Defender, whose debut on the track ended in victory. The Lithuanian Rokas Baciuška proved fastest, reaching Yanbu nearly four hours ahead of his teammate Sara Price, while the Toyota Land Cruisers managed to hold their own, with Ronald Basso finishing third in the final standings. Stéphane Peterhansel completed his 36th Dakar in fourth place in the Stock class after struggling more than usual.
Result: https://www.dakar.com/en/rankings
Bikes –
In the context of the 2026 Dakar, the days when Daniel Sanders seemed in a league of his own, with Tosha Schareina as his sole potential challenger, seem like a lifetime ago! The balance of power shifted when the Spaniard was slapped with a 10-minute penalty for ignoring flags while exiting the bivouac-refuge (stage 5), but Monster Energy Honda HRC found a rock-solid replacement leader in Ricky Brabec, who looked more than capable of taking the fight to the Australian. The duel was indeed shaping up to be a classic, right until the world champion smashed his shoulder on the road to Bisha, scuppering his hopes of back-to-back titles without forcing him to withdraw. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing camp refused to give up, however, as a new ace began to show its hand. A solid Luciano Benavides claimed the overall lead for the first time by taking his third special of the year in stage 8 (winning from the front), but “Chucky” was still very much in the hunt, just 10 seconds adrift.
After Sanders crashed, the full weight of the KTM squad rested on the shoulders of the Argentinian, leaving him face to face with Brabec, a two-time winner (2020 and 2024) who was clearly still in top shape. Supplementing his precision riding, the American attempted a gamble, perhaps even a stroke of genius, by sandbagging at the end of stage 11. This left Benavides in the overall lead by a mere 23 seconds, but in the worst possible position for stage 12: a mathematical deathtrap paired with a psychological hammer blow for a leader on borrowed time, who looked a shadow of his usual self that evening. The script written by the American was playing out perfectly. Brabec started the final stage (usually considered a formality) with 3′20″ in hand. The deal was all but sealed… until km 98.4! Opening the way, the Honda rider had just 7 km of parade riding left, but a navigation error sent him slightly too far left, forcing him into a loop of about 3 km to get back on track. Meanwhile, Luciano Benavides charged across the finish line and saw Ricky Brabec clock in 2 seconds too late, the narrowest margin ever in the Dakar standings. Absolute madness! It was an even tighter finish than that of his two-time winner brother Kevin, who had also turned the tables on the final day in 2023, winning by 43 seconds over Toby Price.
KTM’s 21st Dakar victory heralded the rise of an orange tide in the Red Sea, as the Rally2 class also saw a dramatic turnaround at Honda’s expense. Preston Campbell, the son of the former rider Johnny Campbell (who happens to be Brabec’s mentor), had been perched at the summit right up until the finish of stage 11, where the slow but steady comeback of the Slovenian Toni Mulec finally paid off. The BAS World KTM satellite team’s rider, competing in his fourth Dakar, never looked back, finishing with 4′37″ to spare over his defeated rival. The 26-year-old American, tenth overall, got the top rookie title as a consolation prize. Last but not least, Benjamin Melot, eighteenth overall, finally got his hands on the title in the Original by Motul class for riders without service crews, which had narrowly escaped him last year. This time round, he beat the Spaniard Josep Pedró by 14′32″.
Result: https://www.dakar.com/en/rankings
Ford Hypercar –
One year ago, we made a promise to return to the topflight of endurance racing. Today, we are exactly 12 months away from being on the grid. In the world of global motorsport, that is a heart-stopping timeframe. To build a Hypercar program from a blank sheet of paper to a Le Mans start line in just two years is, by any objective measure, almost impossible. But at Ford Racing, making the impossible possible is the only way we know how to work. We have spent the last year in the trenches, and while the main event is still ahead of us, the soul of this machine is already beginning to roar.
That soul is the engine. It is more than just a component; it is the identity of the car. When you hear a Ford coming down the Mulsanne Straight at three in the morning, you shouldn’t have to look at the badge to know who it is. That is why we chose the Coyote. We are powering our Hypercar with a naturally aspirated 5.4-liter V8. When you have an engine this iconic in your arsenal — a powerplant that already defines our Dark Horse R, GT4, and GT3 programs — you don’t look for alternatives. You lean into your DNA. This V8 is a bridge between the legends of 1966 and the future of 2027.
For the first time in our history, this competition engine is being developed entirely in-house, with our team in Dearborn working hand-in-glove with Red Bull Ford Powertrains to marry high-voltage technology to raw, Detroit-born power. But a machine this ambitious requires more than just engineering; it requires a specific kind of driver — one who is as much a scientist as they are a racer. We have found them in Sebastian Priaulx, Mike “Rocky” Rockenfeller, and Logan Sargeant. Seb and Rocky are already part of the Ford family, having proven the Mustang GT3’s mettle with two wins in IMSA last year. Seb is a pure, natural talent; Rocky is the veteran who has seen it all and won it all.
They are joined by Logan Sargeant, who comes to us fresh from the F1 circuit, bringing a level of technical sophistication and high-downforce experience that is vital for a program of this scale. Having an American back in a Ford at Le Mans feels right. It’s a nod to giants like Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt, who showed the world in 1967 what happens when American grit meets global ambition. We aren’t waiting until 2027 to start fighting, however. To prepare for our internally operated race team, Seb and Rocky will be competing in the LMP2 class of the European Le Mans Series in 2026. We are building a team, refining our processes, and earning our stripes in the real world. We are taking the building blocks of this program and stress-testing them under the most demanding conditions on the planet.
We have the engine. We have the drivers. We have the vision. Being able to pull back the curtain at Season Launch 2026 is a milestone, but the work is far from over. We are building more than just a car; we are building a legacy. We are reclaiming our seat at the top table of endurance racing. We are America’s Race Team, and we are coming for the world.
- From Dan Sayers is the Ford Racing Hypercar program manager.
Additionally, Priaulx and Sargeant will also form part of Proton’s LMGT3 assault in 2026 WEC season. The former will join forces with fellow Brit Ben Tuck and Florida native Eric Powell in the #77 entry, with the latter flanking incumbent Italians Giammarco Levorato and Stefano Gattuso in the sister #88 car.
Ford WEC/IMSA line-up in LMGT3 in 2026: https://x.com/FordRacing/status/2011967145798738133?s=20
Here’s video: https://x.com/FordRacing/status/2012148077654688189?s=20
Other news –
Martins Sesks gets 7-race deal with M-Sport in WRC: https://www.wrc.com/en/news/sesks-plots-seven-round-wrc-campaign-in-2026
[The story is as per press release]