The 2026 Dakar Rally has been decided by just two seconds in the RallyGP class, with the leadership changing hands in the final stage.
Benavides was successful in his quest, though, finishing second in the stage, six seconds behind his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Edgar Canet, who ended his first Dakar in the RallyGP class 32nd overall having picked up six hours of penalties late in the first week.
The Ultimate class saw substantially less drama: Dacia driver Nasser Al-Attiyah held on to the lead he took on Friday and winning his sixth Dakar by 9’42’’. Second was Nani Roma, while his Ford teammate Mattias Ekstrom was third overall, meaning the second Dacia of Sebastien Loeb missed out on the podium by 37 seconds in the end.
