Nasser Al-Attiyah has won the twelfth stage of Dakar Rally 2026 and equals the record of 50 stage victories in the car category. The Qatari now shares first place with Ari Vatanen and Stéphane Peterhansel. Mattias Ekström claimed third place in the classification after a masterful performance as opener, at the expense of Sébastien Loeb.
Al-Attiyah dominated the 311-kilometre stage to Yanbu. He won by 1:04 over Mitch Guthrie and 1:25 over Toby Price. It is his 50th Dakar victory in the car category, making history.
“Nasser Al-Attiyah has won the special, 1:04 ahead of Mitch Guthrie, to bring his tally of stage wins to 50,” the organisation reported. “With this success at the finishing line of stage 12, Nasser Al-Attiyah has further enhanced his legendary status on the Dakar. The Qatari has equalled the mythical stage victory record in the car category, which until today was jointly held by Ari Vatanen and Stéphane Peterhansel.”
50th victory for Al-Attiyah
Al-Attiyah led at kilometre 94 by one second over Loeb. At kilometre 184 he had 15 seconds over Ekström and at kilometre 288 that had grown to 1:38. He controlled the stage from start to finish and extends his lead in the classification from 8:40 to 15:02 over Roma.
“After 288 km, at the last time checkpoint before the finishing line, Nasser Al-Attiyah has confirmed his leadership of the special,” the organisation noted. “The Qatari boasts an advantage of 1:38 over Mattias Ekström and 1:55 over Toby Price. The Dacia driver is heading for his 50th stage victory.”
Ekström climbs to third place
Mattias Ekström delivered a masterful performance as stage opener. He opened from start to finish and finished fourth at 1:49. Crucially, he was 3:24 faster than Loeb, allowing him to overtake the Frenchman in the classification.
“Mattias Ekstrom has pulled off a masterstroke by brilliantly opening the way on stage 12 in the car category, on which the Swede has been 3:24 faster than Sébastien Loeb, allowing him to overtake the Frenchman in the Dakar overall rankings,” the organisation stated.
Ekström now stands third at 23:21 and Loeb fourth at 23:50. The difference is just 29 seconds. The battle for bronze will be decided tomorrow in the final stage of 108 kilometres.
Guthrie fought back
Mitch Guthrie led at kilometre 45 by 23 seconds over Henk Lategan. He dropped to nineteenth place at kilometre 94, more than four minutes behind Al-Attiyah. But the American fought back and finished second at 1:04.
“Nasser Al-Attiyah has completed the stage with the best time so far but Mitch Guthrie is maintaining the suspense,” the organisation reported. “Having led after 45 km, he dropped to 19th place after 94 km before climbing back up the leader board. After 288 km, he trailed the leader by less than 2 minutes.”
Roma loses ground
Nani Roma lost 6:22 to Al-Attiyah and sees his deficit grow from 8:40 to 15:02. The Spaniard finished eighth at 6:22. Romain Dumas waited at the start for Roma and drove the entire stage behind him as support. Dumas lost more than half an hour and finished 26th.
“Having stopped at the start of the stage, Romain Dumas has resumed racing in the wake of his Ford clan colleague, Nani Roma,” the organisation explained. “The Frenchman has lost more than half an hour after waiting for Nani Roma at the start of the special.”
Goczał family shines again
Eryk Goczał finished fifth at 3:55 and his father Marek sixth at 5:03. It is a strong performance from the Polish family. “Eryk Goczal and his father Marek have again shone today, finishing in the upper positions and as leading privateers at the wheels of Energylandia team Toyotas,” the organisation stated.
Toby Price finished third in the stage at 1:25, his best result in the Ultimate class. Carlos Sainz finished tenth at 7:45 and remains fifth in the classification at 36:33 (including 17:20 in penalties).
Coronel fastest Dutchman
The penultimate stage went well for Tim and Tom Coronel. They have now found their pace and rhythm in the Century. They finished 28th in 33:44. Roger Grouwels finished 44th in 1:01:43 and Maik Willems finished 46th in 1:02:38.
The penultimate stage did not go smoothly for Janus van Kasteren and Dave Klaassen. Van Kasteren lost 3 hours in the final part but did reach the finish line, while Klaassen did so quite early in the stage and is still on the road.
Al-Attiyah stands on the threshold of his sixth Dakar title. Tomorrow follows the final stage of 108 kilometres around Yanbu, in which the podium battle between Ekström and Loeb will be decided.
