The 2026 edition of the Dakar Rally will cover eight thousand kilometres, 4,901 of which will be timed, and features at least 27 Portuguese competitors across the various categories, according to information released by the organisers.
The 2026 edition of the Dakar Rally will cover eight thousand kilometres, 4,901 of which will be timed, and features at least 27 Portuguese competitors across the various categories, according to information released by the organisers.
The event will take place for the seventh consecutive year in Saudi Arabia, but this time the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) has dropped both the passage through the Empty Quarter desert and the 48-hour marathon stage.
Next year’s edition will run from 3 to 17 January and will consist of 13 stages plus a prologue, with both the start and finish in Yanbu. The rest day is scheduled for Riyadh.
Among the Portuguese competitors, João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux), once again partnered by co-driver Filipe Palmeiro, leads the ambitions as part of Toyota’s factory line-up, aiming to improve on the eighth place achieved in 2025.
Also in the car category is Maria Gameiro (Mini), co-driven by Spain’s Rosa Romero.
In the motorbike category, four Portuguese riders will take part: Bruno Santos (Husqvarna), Nuno Silva (KTM), Martim Silva (Honda), the 2024 national champion, and Pedro Pinheiro (KTM).
In the Challenger category for lightweight vehicles, the entries include Pedro Gonçalves/Hugo Magalhães (BBR Sport), Luís Portela Morais/David Megre (Minimotor) and Rui Carneiro (GRally).
In the SSV category, the Portuguese contingent is among the favourites for victory, led by the world champion duo Alexandre Pinto/Bernardo Oliveira (Polaris).
Also competing in this category are Gonçalo Guerreiro/Maykel Justo (Polaris), João Monteiro/Nuno Morais (Can-Am), the veteran Hélder Rodrigues/Gonçalo Reis (Polaris), who already has 12 Dakar starts, as well as João Dias/Daniel Jordão (Polaris), Bruno Martins/Eurico Adão (Polaris), Rui Silva/Francisco Albuquerque (Polaris) and João Ré, who will co-drive for Saudi driver Saleh Saleh.
In the truck category, co-driver Paulo Oliveira is entered alongside Alberto Herrero and Mario Sastre.
Australia’s Daniel Sanders (KTM) starts as favourite for victory on two wheels, having been crowned world champion at Rally Raid Portugal, while in the car category the standout names include Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Toyota Hilux), winner of this year’s edition, Spain’s Carlos Sainz (Ford Raptor) and France’s Sébastien Loeb (Dacia Sandrider).
Agência Lusa.