Nasser Al Attiyah has claimed his sixth Dakar Rally victory. The 53-year-old Qatari was crowned winner of the 2026 edition and gave Dacia the overall victory in just their second participation in the rally. With a margin of 9’42” over Nani Roma and 14’33” over Mattias Ekström, Al Attiyah dominated the final phase of the rally on the Red Sea.
Historic victory for Al Attiyah and Lurquin
The victory marks a historic moment for several parties involved. Al Attiyah already equaled Stéphane Peterhansel and Ari Vatanen yesterday with his fiftieth stage win. Now he adds his sixth overall victory to his record (2011, 2015, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2026), definitively cementing his place among the greatest rally-raid legends.
For navigator Fabian Lurquin, it was his first Dakar victory after three previous podium finishes (second in 2022 and 2023, third in 2024). The Belgian, who previously worked with Sébastien Loeb, is the first Belgian navigator to win the car category at the Dakar. His compatriot Jacky Ickx had already triumphed as a driver in 1983.
Dacia’s dream start
For Dacia, the victory is a sensational result. In only their second participation in the Dakar Rally, the Romanian manufacturer immediately claimed the top prize with the Sandrider. The brand placed three cars in the top seven, with Al Attiyah joined by Sébastien Loeb in fourth place and Lucas Moraes in seventh position.
“We could’ve lost it all yesterday. There’s still one day to go, but we must stay focused and play it smart,” Al Attiyah declared before the final stage. That tactic worked out perfectly, even though he lost more than six minutes to Nani Roma in one sector during the closing 105 kilometers.
Ford secures double podium
Ford Racing also celebrated a historic moment. For the first time in history, the American brand placed two Raptors on the Dakar podium. Nani Roma finished second after a true odyssey on the penultimate day, when he had to complete the final section on three wheels. The 53-year-old Spaniard stood on the podium for the first time since 2019 – a seven-year wait.
“We went through hell yesterday,” Roma reflected. After repairs with parts from Romain Dumas’s Raptor and a race against the clock over 194 kilometers of asphalt, he even ran out of fuel on the outskirts of Yanbu. Laia Sanz towed him to the bivouac, where he clocked in one minute late but retained his second place.
Mattias Ekström completed the Dakar podium with his third place for Ford. The Swede won three stages during this edition, making him the most successful car driver of the 2026 edition. In the final stage, he held firm against pressure from Sébastien Loeb, who started the last stage with just 29 seconds deficit.
Ekström keeps Loeb off the podium
The battle for third place was decided in Ekström’s favor. Although Loeb set the fastest time of the day – just eight seconds behind stage winner Ekström – it wasn’t enough. The Swede finished the overall classification with 37 seconds advantage over the nine-time world rally champion.
Loeb was plagued by power steering issues during the marathon stage in the second week and couldn’t make up the lost ground, despite his strong final phase.
Final stage confirms hierarchy
The closing 138 kilometers around Yanbu, with 105 kilometers against the clock, brought no major shifts in the overall standings. Ekström took the stage win ahead of Loeb (+8 seconds), Henk Lategan (+13 seconds) and Brian Baragwanath (+36 seconds).
Nani Roma finished ninth on the final stage, more than six minutes faster than Al Attiyah in the crucial middle sector, but the Qatari played it smart and expertly managed his advantage to the finish.
Many problems for the Dutch
It was a Dakar with many problems for the Dutch. Crashes, bad luck, flat tires; they experienced everything. Tim Coronel lost his chances of a good ranking on day two. They lost many hours and it takes a few days before you can drive again where you belong. However, the last week went well for the brothers, who finished 47th overall.
Roger Grouwels was the fastest Dutchman in 43rd position, having had the fewest problems of his team. Teammate Janus van Kasteren had a number of very good days, but also experienced a lot of setbacks. As a result, he only managed to finish in 46th place. Michiel Becx, the last member of the Shiver Offroad team, had to give up after stage 8. The Century crashed on a rock and there was too much damage to continue.
Maik Willems had several minor problems along the way, but clearly enjoyed working with Jasper Riezebos. In the orange Hilux, the experienced driver finished 49th overall. Dave Klaassen had a serious baptism of fire for the new DKR Evo. Several problems, from flat tires to issues with the crankshaft sensor, meant that he only finished 52nd.
Veni, vidi, vici, Defender came, saw, and conquered the Stock class
Seven cars started the Dakar in the Stock class, but only three of them officially reached the finish line. The other four finished in the Dakar Experience. The Defender Rally team won by a landslide. They won every stage with Rokas Baciuška as the winner. He was 3 hours and 58 minutes faster than Sara Price, with third place going to Ronald Basso in the Toyota Land Cruiser, more than 8.5 hours behind.
Overall classification
1. Nasser Al Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin (Dacia) – 48u56’53”
2. Nani Roma / Alex Haro (Ford) – +9’42”
3. Mattias Ekström / Emil Bergkvist (Ford) – +14’33”
4. Sébastien Loeb / Edouard Boulanger (Dacia) – +15’10”
5. Carlos Sainz / Lucas Cruz (Ford) – +28’30”
43. Roger Grouwels / Rudolf Meijer (Shiver Offroad) – +15h17’37”
46. Janus van Kasteren / Marcel Snijders (Shiver Offroad) – +16h14’12”
47. Tim Coronel / Tom Coronel (Team Coronel) – +16h14’58”
49. Maik Willems / Jasper Riezebos (Bastion Hotels Team) – +18h08’06”
52. Dave Klaassen / Tessa Klaassen (DaklaPack Rallysport) – +23h15’25”
Withdrawal
Michiel Becx / Wouter de Graaff (Shiver Offroad) – Stage 8
