The Dakar Rally resumed after the rest day with a long and demanding seventh stage from Riyadh to Wadi Ad Dawasir. With 459 timed kilometers and a total of nearly 900 kilometers, it became immediately clear that the second week would not allow for a cautious restart. On the sand and fast tracks, Luciano Benavides emerged as the strongest, while Daniel Sanders further solidified his position at the top of the overall standings.
Benavides in control all the way
Luciano Benavides delivered a strong and composed performance, taking the initiative from the very beginning. The Argentine rider steadily extended his lead and maintained the pace until the finish line, earning the seventh Dakar stage win of his career. Behind him, Edgar Canet made a surprising comeback. The KTM rider started far back in the field but delivered an impressive charge to finish second, 4 minutes and 47 seconds behind Benavides. Adrien Van Beveren completed the podium, finishing just ten seconds behind Canet, marking his best result of this Dakar so far.
Just outside the podium, a solid Honda trio followed with Skyler Howes in fourth, ahead of Tosha Schareina and Ricky Brabec. Daniel Sanders rode a controlled stage, opened the route towards the end, and crossed the line as the third KTM rider, a little over five minutes behind the stage winner.
Tight gaps in the overall rankings
Daniel Sanders made the most of the day in the general classification. The Australian extended his lead over Ricky Brabec from 45 seconds to 4 minutes and 25 seconds. Luciano Benavides also capitalized on his strong day, moving up to third place, just 4 minutes and 40 seconds behind the leader. The top three are now separated by less than five minutes. Tosha Schareina dropped slightly and is now fourth, trailing by 15 minutes and 6 seconds. Skyler Howes managed to overtake Ignacio Cornejo and now holds fifth place.
Rally2
In Rally2, the pace remained high, with Michael Docherty once again prominently featured. The South African rider was quick and built a lead over Neels Theric and Konrad Dabrowski, although the main focus in this class remains on the overall standings. Leader Preston Campbell saw his margin over Toni Mulec shrink once again. Mulec gained more time and is now within thirteen minutes of the lead, while Dabrowski is eyeing a podium spot.
Ian Olthof also got off to a good start in the second week of his Dakar debut. The Dutch rider is still on the course but riding at a steady and disciplined pace. Without major issues, he is progressing through the special with consistency and preservation clearly being his priorities.
Original by Motul
In the Original by Motul category, Josep Pedró firmly entered the battle for the lead. The Spaniard rode strongly in the second half of the stage and managed to close much of the gap to Benjamin Melot. The time differences remain small, promising an exciting continuation of the race.
Looking ahead
This intense restart makes it clear that the second week of Dakar has truly begun. With the gaps in the overall classification still narrow and many kilometers ahead, consistency will become the deciding factor.
