Mattias Ekström won the 11th stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally, breaking the curse of repeated stage wins. Nani Roma moved up to second place overall after a strong performance, gaining 4 minutes and 20 seconds on leader Nasser Al-Attiyah. Henk Lategan suffered a disastrous day with two stops and dropped out of the top ten.
Ekström dominated the 346-kilometer stage to Al Henakiyah. He led by 29 seconds over Carlos Sainz at kilometer 43 and maintained that advantage until the finish. Romain Dumas finished second, 1 minute and 22 seconds behind, while Sainz was third at 2 minutes and 26 seconds. This is Ekström’s second stage win after Stage 7.
First with two stage wins
For Ekström, this is his second stage victory of this Dakar, following Stage 7. He also won the prologue, though it doesn’t count as a full stage. With this win, he breaks the streak of different winners for each stage. At kilometer 241, he had a 2:21 lead over Dumas and 2:56 over Sainz. By kilometer 319, the gap was 2:32 over Dumas and 2:38 over Sainz.
Ford occupied the entire podium with Ekström, Dumas, and Sainz. Dumas, driving as a privateer in a previous-generation Ford Raptor, achieved his best result. “Romain Dumas remains second after 283 kilometers, 2:06 behind Mattias Ekström, as the best privateer,” the organization noted.
Roma gains time on Al-Attiyah
Nani Roma delivered a strong performance, gaining 4 minutes and 20 seconds on Al-Attiyah. The Spaniard finished tenth at 8:37 (including a 0:10 penalty), while Al-Attiyah came in fourteenth at 12:47. Roma moves from third to second place overall, now 8:40 behind.
“After 190 kilometers, Nani Roma, now second in the virtual standings, has gained time on Nasser Al-Attiyah,” the organization reported. “The Spaniard was nearly 13 minutes behind his Qatari rival at the start of Stage 11 this morning but has reduced the gap to 9:19.”
Al-Attiyah retains the lead, but his advantage has shrunk. Yesterday, he was 12:50 ahead of Roma; now, the gap is 8:40.
Loeb climbs to third place
Sébastien Loeb capitalized on Lategan’s troubles and moved up to third place, 18:37 behind. The Frenchman finished ninth at 8:20. He had briefly stopped earlier in the stage but resumed racing.
“Sébastien Loeb is on the virtual podium,” the organization announced. “After a 30-minute stop at 140 kilometers, Henk Lategan has dropped in the virtual standings after 156 kilometers. Sébastien Loeb has taken advantage to climb to the third step of the provisional podium.”
Lategan endures disastrous day
Henk Lategan experienced a nightmare. The South African stopped at kilometer 140 and remained stationary for 1 hour and 40 minutes. After resuming the race, he stopped again after just ten kilometers.
“Just after resuming the race following a 1-hour and 40-minute stop at 140 kilometers, Henk Lategan has come to a halt again,” the organization reported. “The South African had barely covered more than ten kilometers before stopping for the second time.”
Lategan started the day in second place overall, 12 minutes behind Al-Attiyah. He now drops out of the top ten. Yesterday, he already faced issues: “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong,” he said. “Toby helped me, Seth stopped this morning to cover me. I have amazing teammates and a fantastic car, but no luck.”
Ekström climbs to fourth place
Ekström’s victory moves him from sixth to fourth place overall, 21:32 behind (including a 0:40 penalty). Mathieu Serradori, who opened the stage after his win yesterday, finished sixteenth at 15:11 (including a 2:10 penalty). He remains sixth overall at 36:06.
João Ferreira finished fourth in the stage at 3:27, and Seth Quintero was fifth at 4:44. Guillaume de Mévius completed the top six at 5:32.
Ford placed three cars in the top five of the overall standings with Roma (2nd), Ekström (4th), and Sainz (5th). The title race remains thrilling with just two stages to go.
Van Kasteren finds rhythm, Dutch drivers within an hour of stage winner
After various problems and days full of incidents, things have been going better for Janus van Kasteren in recent days. He was the fastest Dutch rider with the 27th time at 22:17. Roger Grouwels finished 38th at 30:33, just 6 seconds faster than Tim Coronel in 39th place. Dave Klaassen finished 54th at 46:29 and Maik Willems finished 57th at 56:26.
