Henk Lategan has dominated the fourth stage of Dakar Rally 2026 and takes over the overall lead. The South African was supreme over the 452-kilometre marathon special around AlUla, beating Nasser Al-Attiyah by over seven minutes. Marek Goczał completed the podium at 14:15. Leader Mitch Guthrie lost 43 minutes as opener and dropped to thirteenth place.
It’s a historic moment for Toyota Gazoo Racing: with Lategan’s victory, a different manufacturer leads for the fourth time in four stages. X-raid Mini (Guillaume de Mévius, stage 1), Dacia (Nasser Al-Attiyah, stage 2), Ford (Mitch Guthrie, stage 3) and now Toyota have all had their moment.
Lategan dominated the stage from start to finish. At kilometre 122 he already had a 1:41 advantage over Al-Attiyah, at kilometre 234 that had grown to 8:22 and at the final checkpoint (km 418) he was more than seven minutes ahead. “The South African seems unstoppable,” the organisation concluded.
Overtook eleven cars
Lategan started 23rd at 8:50 and overtook eleven vehicles during the stage. “This striking statistic underlines the South African’s performance as he chases his fifth career victory at the Dakar,” the organisation reported. In the overall classification he now has a 3:03 advantage over Al-Attiyah and over thirteen minutes on Mattias Ekström.
It’s the first time since stage 10 last year that Lategan leads the Dakar again. For Toyota it’s a welcome revenge after Ford’s recent dominance.
Guthrie loses lead as opener
Mitch Guthrie experienced a difficult day. The American had to open the route as leader without being able to follow tracks and gradually lost ground. At kilometre 89 he was already 1:43 behind Ekström, at kilometre 338 his deficit to Lategan had grown to 41 minutes. He ultimately finished nineteenth at 43:53 and dropped from first to thirteenth place in the classification (+29:06).
“Guthrie has felt the navigation demands pinch and has dropped back to twelfth place, almost five minutes behind,” the organisation noted early in the stage. For the American, who claimed his first Ultimate victory yesterday, it was a harsh lesson in what it means to have to ride at the front.
Prokop drops back heavily
Martin Prokop also had it tough. The Czech, who started second just 26 seconds behind Guthrie, lost more than 44 minutes and finished twentieth. He dropped from second to fifteenth place in the classification (+30:24). At kilometre 89 he was already almost 15 minutes behind Variawa.
Goczał family shines
The Polish Goczał family delivered strong performances. Marek finished third in the stage (+14:15) and is now fourteenth in the classification. Eryk finished fourth in the stage (+17:36) and is ninth overall. Michał completed the family performance with sixth place in the stage (+19:53) and is eleventh in the classification.
“The Goczałs drive Toyotas in their own Energylandia team colours and have been performing strongly since the start of the Dakar,” the organisation reported. “At kilometre 162, Marek is third overall and is the fastest privateer.”
Loeb fifth, Ford in trouble
Sébastien Loeb drove a solid stage and finished fifth (+17:54). The Frenchman was still leading at kilometre 43 but gradually dropped back. “At kilometre 43, Loeb had the provisional fastest time and led Variawa by a tiny margin of one second,” the organisation reported. He is now eighth in the classification.
The Ford armada had it tough. Besides Guthrie, the other Fords also lost considerable time. Ekström finished twelfth (+26:39), Carlos Sainz thirteenth (+27:06) and Nani Roma fifteenth (+29:21). Sainz had difficulties from the start and was already more than five minutes behind after 43 kilometres.
Al Rajhi withdraws, De Mévius with problems
Yazeed Al Rajhi withdrew from the rally after technical problems at kilometre 234. The 2025 winner suffered three punctures and decided to quit the fight. He and navigator Timo Gottschalk are still recovering from injuries sustained in their Baja Jordan crash. “The 2025 Dakar winner sees his chances disappear and cannot defend his title this year,” the organisation reported.
Guillaume de Mévius stopped at kilometre 129 with mechanical problems. The Belgian was seventh at kilometre 122 at 5:17, but then had to carry out repairs on his X-raid MINI.
Becx is best Dutchman
Michiel Becx surprised with a strong run. The Dutchman from Shiver Offroad was still fighting on the fringes of the top ten at kilometre 234 with his Century CR7 and ultimately finished 31st at 54:42.
Tim Coronel struggled with steering problems and a flat tire, but managed to repair both along the way. He finished 50th in 1:33:59. The brothers were given time back in the marathon bivouac for helping someone. This moved them up to the 46th fastest time. Maik Willems finished 53rd in 1:42:23, and Janus van Kasteren 55th in 1:47:52.
Dave Klaassen finished over 4.5 hours behind, while Roger Grouwels lost about 7 hours. Both will be able to start in the second part of the marathon stage.
Marathon without service
The stage marks the start of the marathon stage, with drivers spending tonight in a bare refuge camp without their service teams. They must carry out any repairs themselves with limited resources. Tomorrow follows the second part of the marathon to Ha’il, which could be a decisive moment in this Dakar.
The 452-kilometre special combined sandy canyons, rocky plateaus and difficult navigation. For the cars, the route was different from the motorcycles, so they couldn’t ride in each other’s tracks.
