- Daniel Sanders leads the overall standings with a 6:24 minute lead
- Tosha Schareina wins stage 9 and moves closer to the podium
- Stage 9 was the first part of the new Marathon Refuge classification
The ninth stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally took the field from Wadi ad Dawasir to a previously unknown region and also marked the start of the Marathon Refuge classification. Navigation, material conservation, and tactical driving were crucial on the 418-kilometer special stage. Several top drivers lost time early on due to a costly navigation error
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Navigation error causes early chaos
After just 34 kilometers, a difficult roadbook entry caused confusion. The first starters, Luciano Benavides, Daniel Sanders, and Ricky Brabec, got lost at almost the same time. Other riders joined them shortly afterwards, forming a larger group. The time lost could not be completely made up.
Daniel Sanders explained:
“It wasn’t too bad of a stage for me today, but obviously, it’s frustrating to lose so much time early on.”
Despite the mistake, the Australian remained in control, adjusted his pace to the conditions, and brought his motorcycle to the finish line without damage.
Sanders back at the top of the overall standings
With second place on the stage and valuable time credits, Daniel Sanders retook the lead in the overall standings. After nine of a total of 13 stages, the KTM rider is now 6:24 minutes ahead of Ricky Brabec. For Sanders, this is his biggest lead so far in this edition of the Dakar.
Looking ahead to the coming days, Sanders said:
“After that, it was about managing the stage and thinking ahead to tomorrow with more dunes coming.”
Schareina seizes opportunity and takes stage victory
Tosha Schareina secured the stage victory. The Honda driver benefited from his rivals’ navigation problems, changed his strategy early on, and consistently collected bonus time. In the end, he won the stage with a 4:35 minute lead.
Schareina explained:
“They made a navigation mistake early in the morning, so my strategy changed there and I tried to take all the bonuses possible from that moment.”
With this success, the Spaniard significantly reduced his deficit to a podium place and is now only around eight minutes behind third place.
Benavides loses lead but remains within striking distance
Luciano Benavides opened the stage but lost around nine minutes due to an early mistake. Although the Argentine fought back strongly as the stage progressed and finished ninth, he dropped to third place in the overall standings.
Benavides said after the stage:
“I don’t think anyone did it well. When we finally corrected the error, I had already lost around nine minutes.”
He is now just over seven minutes behind the leader, which means he remains a serious contender in the battle for overall victory.
Canet loses time after strong start
Edgar Canet got off to a promising start and led the time table until kilometer 158. However, a technical problem before the refueling stop cost the Spaniard a lot of time. In the end, he only finished 28th. Despite the setback, Canet was satisfied with how his bike felt and is optimistic about the second half of the marathon stage.
Canet explained:
“I had a really good rhythm today, a really good feeling on the bike, and everything was working well.”
Marathon stage presents riders with new challenges
The riders spent the night in the spartan marathon camp without support from their teams. Repairs had to be carried out independently. Stage 10 leads over another long special stage with extensive dune fields towards Bisha before the riders meet up with their teams again.
Close decision before the final stages
With four stages to go, the top three in the overall standings are within a good seven minutes of each other. Brabec and Benavides follow Sanders, while Schareina continues to apply pressure from fourth place. The 2026 Dakar Rally is thus entering a highly exciting phase in sporting terms.
