Mathieu Serradori won the tenth stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally in his Century CR7. This is his second Dakar victory and the first in the Ultimate class for navigator Loïc Minaudier. Nasser Al-Attiyah reclaimed the overall lead after a dramatic day where Nani Roma lost the top spot. Henk Lategan struggled with fuel issues, and Carlos Sainz got lost.
Serradori dominated the 420-kilometer stage to Bisha. By kilometer 386, he had a lead of over seven minutes on Al-Attiyah. He ultimately won with a 6:12 margin over the Qatari and 9:20 over Sébastien Loeb.
“Mathieu Serradori has done it: the Frenchman placed his Century CR7 at the top to win today’s stage ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah. It’s a historic first for the South African manufacturer at the Dakar,” reported the organization. “For Serradori, this marks a return to the top (his second win after 2020) and a milestone for his navigator Loïc Minaudier.”
First Ultimate win for Minaudier
For Serradori, this is his second Dakar win after 2020, also in a Century. For navigator Loïc Minaudier, it’s his first victory in the Ultimate class. He previously won an SSV stage in 2021, but this is his first win in the top car category.
“A stage win by Mathieu Serradori and Loïc Minaudier would go down in history for Century,” the organization wrote during the stage. “Century is a fish among sharks like Toyota, Ford, and Dacia. Honestly beating the factory teams would be an incredible achievement.”
Serradori steadily builds his lead
Serradori took the lead at kilometer 121 with a 46-second advantage over João Ferreira. By kilometer 155, he led Al-Attiyah by 54 seconds. At kilometer 196, the gap remained 54 seconds. By kilometer 239, his lead grew to 3:23. At kilometer 281, it was 3:30, and by kilometer 356, the difference was 5:48.
“Mathieu Serradori has increased the pace. The Frenchman flew through kilometer 239 of the FIA special with a 3:23 lead over Nasser Al-Attiyah,” the organization reported. By kilometer 386, his lead had grown to over seven minutes.
Al-Attiyah retakes the lead
Nasser Al-Attiyah is back in the overall lead with a 12:00 advantage over Henk Lategan and 12:50 over Nani Roma. The Qatari had lost the top spot to Roma yesterday but now benefits from his rivals’ troubles.
At kilometer 46, Al-Attiyah took the virtual lead. He put 57 seconds on Lategan and two minutes on Roma. “With this stunning start, the Dacia driver immediately snatched the virtual lead from the Spaniard,” the organization noted.
Roma loses the lead
Nani Roma lost the lead he had taken yesterday. The Spaniard started with a 57-second advantage over Al-Attiyah but dropped to a 10:39 deficit by kilometer 196. He finished 11th, 20:12 behind, and fell from first to third place.
“Nani Roma no longer holds the Dakar lead at kilometer 196… Not even close,” the organization recorded. “The Spaniard, 51 seconds behind Nasser Al-Attiyah at the previous checkpoint, now loses 10:39.”
Lategan runs out of fuel
Henk Lategan faced fuel issues and made a navigation error. He finished sixth, 13:09 behind, and remains second overall, 12:00 back. Yesterday, he was 6:13 behind the leader.
Sainz gets lost, Ekström stops
Carlos Sainz got lost and received a 15:00-minute time penalty. He finished 37th, 45:34 behind (including a total of 17:20 in penalties). His major delay was due to getting lost. He dropped from second to seventh place, 39:09 behind.
Mattias Ekström stopped at kilometer 97 with mechanical issues. “Just after posting the fastest provisional time at the previous FIA checkpoint, Mattias Ekström came to a halt due to a mechanical problem,” the organization reported. He finished 18th, 30:22 behind, and dropped from fifth to sixth place, 34:19 back (including a 0:40 penalty).
Loeb climbs to fourth place
Sébastien Loeb capitalized on Sainz’s and Ekström’s problems, moving from sixth to fourth place. He is now 23:04 behind Al-Attiyah. Loeb had power steering issues yesterday and repaired it overnight in the bivouac with help from Cristina Gutiérrez.
Serradori jumps to fifth
Serradori moved from ninth to fifth place overall and is now 33:42 behind Al-Attiyah (including 2:10 in penalties). He is competing as a privateer among factory teams.
Lucas Moraes finished fourth in the stage, 9:54 behind, his best result ever. Guy Botterill completed the top five, 11:42 back.
Van Kasteren near the top 20
With a 21st place today, Janus van Kasteren was almost in the top 20. He started well with a 13th split time and finished 32:02 behind. Tim and Tom Coronel came in 37th, 44:37 back, and Roger Grouwels posted a 44th-place time.
Dave Klaassen finished 60th and seems to have had some problems in the dunes. Together with Tessa Klaassen, he lost 2:25:14. Maik Willems finished 63rd and lost 3:38:43.
The stage took place on the anniversary of Thierry Sabine’s death, the founder of the Dakar Rally, who died 40 years ago on January 14, 1985. Tomorrow, the 11th stage will again head to Bisha.
