Lucas del Rio has won the fifth stage in the Challenger category in the most thrilling battle so far, finishing just 24 seconds ahead of Pau Navarro. Dania Akeel completed the podium, 28 seconds behind. Navarro now takes the overall lead. In the SSV class, Kyle Chaney secured his first Dakar victory and the first Can-Am win of this edition.
The Challenger class saw a nail-biting finale. Del Rio fought his way to the front in the final section, claiming his second stage win of this Dakar. “With a strong performance in the final part, Lucas del Rio won the special in the Challenger class in the closest race since the start of the rally,” the organizers reported.
Akeel had long appeared on course for victory. At kilometer 271, she held a 3:32 lead over Del Rio and 4:16 over Seaidan, but lost her advantage in the closing stages. “Dania Akeel seemed to be racing toward victory in the Challenger class, but Chilean Lucas del Rio pushed the Saudi driver from the top spot after 326 kilometers,” the organizers stated.
Navarro new leader
Pau Navarro capitalized on Yasir Seaidan’s time loss to take the overall lead. By kilometer 39, he was already the virtual leader with just a nine-second advantage, which grew to 4:26. Seaidan dropped to second place, with Cavigliasso third at 8:25 and Del Rio fourth at 12:23.
Dutch performances
Puck Klaassen rode a solid stage and finished sixth at 3:07. She is sixth in the general classification at 1:40:59. Paul Spierings finished eighth at 7:35 and is thirteenth overall at 2:54:14. Kees Koolen received a five-minute penalty and finished fourteenth at 10:29, placing him ninth in the general classification at 1:56:09. Pim Klaassen had a great day and finished sixteenth at 19:51. Lex Peters finished seventeenth at 20:23. Riné Streppel finished 26th at 1:03:50, Daniel Kersbergen finished 28th at 1:06:38 and Dick van Culenborg finished 32nd at 1:23:30.
Chaney wins thrilling SSV duel
In the SSV category, Kyle Chaney claimed his first Dakar victory after a thrilling duel down to the final kilometers. At kilometer 326, he held just a 30-second lead over Brock Heger and 42 seconds over “Chaleco” López. He ultimately won by 51 seconds over López and 3:27 over Heger.
“Kyle Chaney was under pressure until the last kilometer but won the SSV special,” the organizers reported. “This is the American’s first victory at the Dakar, marking Can-Am’s first stage win of the 2026 edition.”
Can-Am dominated the stage, with six cars in the top nine. Besides Chaney and López, González Ferioli (4th), Monteiro (5th), Miller (6th), and Andujar (9th) also finished in the top ten.
Heger maintains comfortable lead
Despite finishing third, Brock Heger retains a comfortable overall lead of 37:36 over Xavier de Soultrait. Chaney moved up to third in the standings at 56:27. Alexandre Pinto retired at kilometer 206 due to suspension issues, losing his third place to João Monteiro.
Richard Aczel, with navigator Wouter Rosegaar, finished seventeenth at 31:35.
