Portuguese victory for Paulo Fíuza in the truck category.
Nasser Al-Attiyah delivered a masterful display of management to secure his sixth Dakar Rally victory, handing Dacia its first triumph in the world’s toughest and most demanding event. At the wheel of the Dacia Sandrider and navigated by Belgian Fabian Lurquin, the Qatari driver once again confirmed his status as one of the desert’s most astute operators, expertly controlling a rally unlike any other, in which balance and the minimal time gaps on the special stages proved to be one of the major surprises. Al-Attiyah also claimed his 50th Dakar stage victory. Only Stéphane Peterhansel now stands ahead of him in the all-time winners’ list, with eight overall victories.
After more than 8,000 kilometres of competition, Al-Attiyah finished with a margin of just 9m42s over Spain’s Nani Roma and 14m33s over Sweden’s Mattias Ekström, both driving the impressive Ford Raptor, which stood out throughout the demanding Saudi event. Another regular title contender, Sébastien Loeb, also in a Dacia Sandrider, finished fourth, just 37 seconds shy of the podium, ahead of another high-profile name, Carlos Sainz, who ended the rally in fifth place at the wheel of a Ford. Dacia and Ford were, in fact, the dominant manufacturers of this Dakar, while Toyota endured a disappointing campaign, managing only to occupy the final three positions in the top ten with Toby Price, Seth Quintero and Saood Variawa. Competitive balance was a defining feature of this edition of the Dakar, as illustrated by the motorcycle category, where Luciano Benavides (KTM) claimed victory by a margin of just two seconds over Ricky Brabec’s Honda.
João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro, the Portuguese pairing competing in a Toyota Gazoo Racing entry, finished in 18th position. While this result fell short of the team’s ambitions, it was shaped by an extremely demanding rally and a series of setbacks. The driver from Leiria has already promised to return next year with the aim of fighting for victory. The standout Portuguese achievement at the finish in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, however, was Paulo Fiúza’s victory in the truck category, as part of the crew led by Vaidotas Žala and Van Grol in an Iveco Powerstar. One of the most respected navigators in world rally-raid, Fiúza had previously secured a third place overall in 2020 alongside Stéphane Peterhansel in a Mini Buggy.
Portugal fielded a sizeable contingent at the 2026 Dakar, with further highlights including the participation of Maria Luís Gameiro, alongside Spain’s Rosa Romero, who won the Women’s Cup in a Mini and completed the Dakar for the second consecutive year, overcoming all the adversity inherent to an event of this nature. João Monteiro and Nuno Morais (Can-Am Maverick) finished fourth in the SSV category, securing a stage victory along the way. Pedro Gonçalves and Hugo Magalhães (Taurus T3 Max) placed 11th among the Challengers, while Rui Carneiro and Fausto Mota ended the rally in 18th position. Hélder Rodrigues, who marked his 13th Dakar participation without ever retiring and previously achieved two motorcycle podiums (2011 and 2012), finished 23rd in the SSV category alongside Gonçalo Reis. Alexandre Pinto and Bernardo Oliveira (Polaris) were forced to retire after last year’s strong performance. An accident put Gonçalo Guerreiro and Maykel Justo out of the rally, following their second place among the Challengers in the previous edition. João Dias and Daniel Jordão (Polaris) also failed to reach the finish. Known as the “helpers of the desert”, Bruno Martins and Eurico Adão (Polaris) nonetheless provided valuable support throughout the two weeks of competition.
In a rally that differed from previous editions but remained relentlessly tough and demanding, Nasser Al-Attiyah once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the leading drivers in this discipline. Dacia and Ford were particularly prominent, while in the remaining categories Spain’s Pau Navarro (Taurus) claimed victory among the Challengers and American Brock Heger (Polaris) secured his third consecutive win in the SSV class. In the Stock category, Lithuanian Rokas Baciuška triumphed on the debut of the Defender, while the Classic class victory went to Karolis Raišys in a Land Rover Defender.