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2026 Dakar Rally
Stage Eight – Wadi Ad Dawasir to Wadi Ad Dawasir
Monday’s stage eight of the 2026 Dakar Rally has been run and won by Luciano Benavides, who repeated his stage seven form and hit eight career stage wins, while also eclipsing fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Daniel Sanders in the overall standings, now leading by a narrow 10-seconds.
The Argentinean won by leading the stage from start to finish, showing off his navigation skills and claiming 7m28s in bonuses, and it was a historic result, as despite competing in eight runnings, he’s never led the rally before.
Luciano BenavidesThe stage included the longest timed special of the event at 481 kilometres, also featuring a liaison of 236 kilometres completing a loop around Wadi Ad-Dawasir.
The day’s top three ended up identical to the overall rankings, Benavides in the lead, ahead of Sanders (+4m50), with Ricky Brabec (+5m02) third. Tosha Schareina (+9m47) and Adrien Van Beveren (+11m56) rounded out the top five, closely followed by Skyler Howes (+12m32).
Edgar Canet (+15m06), Ignacio Cornejo (+17m13s), Neels Theric (+19m05), and Martim Ventura (19m20s) rounded out the top-10, with Ross Branch falling just outside, in 11th, as the second Hero rider after Cornejo.
While Brabec proved fastest in the morning, leading both Benavides and Sanders, the Aussie would minimise that lead, including overtaking both van Beveren and Canet by km 400, leaving just Benavides in front of him.
10-seconds separate Benavides and Sanders
Similar to the standings after the last stage, just five-minutes separates the top three, but this time it’s Benavides leading Sanders with that 10-second gap, and Brabec on the outside at 4m47.
It’s a greater jump to Schareina in fourth, trailing in the overall by 20m13, with Howes fifth and 41m06 off the lead, closely followed Cornejo at +45m58.
Van Beveren now sits just over an hour off the lead at 1h03m13s, and the gap blows out to almost two hours to Ross Branch, with just five stages to go.
Michael Docherty looked set to dominate the Rally 2 class but the BAS World KTM rider crashed, handing the lead of the special to Neels Theric, with Martim Ventura in his wake.
2026 Dakar Rally Stage Eight Results
(Provisional)
- L. BENAVIDES 4h26m39
- D. SANDERS +4m50
- R. BRABEC +5m02
- T. SCHAREINA +9m47
- A. VAN BEVEREN +11m56
- S. HOWES +12m32
- E. CANET +15m06
- I. CORNEJO +17m13
- N. THERIC +19m05
- M. VENTURA +19m20
2026 Dakar Rally Standings after Stage Eight
(Provisional)
- L. BENAVIDES 33h18m50
- D. SANDERS +0m10
- R. BRABEC +4m47
- T. SCHAREINA +20m13
- S. HOWES +41m06
- I. CORNEJO +45m58
- A. VAN BEVEREN +1h03m13
- R. BRANCH +1h55m02
- P. CAMPBELL +2h01m28
- T. MULEC +2h11m04
2026 Dakar Rally Route/Schedule
2026 Dakar Rally route2026 Dakar Rally Route/Schedule
|
Day |
Date |
Event |
Route – Liason (Special) |
Notes |
|
Sat |
03/01 |
Prologue |
Yanbu > Yanbu – 73km (22km) |
|
|
Sun |
04/01 |
S1 |
Yanbu > Yanbu – 213km (305km) |
|
|
Mon |
05/01 |
S2 |
Yanbu > AlUla – 104km (400km) |
|
|
Tue |
06/01 |
S3 |
AlUla > AlUla – 244km (422km) |
|
|
Wed |
07/01 |
S4 |
AlUla > AlUla – 75km (451km) |
Marathon |
|
Thu |
08/01 |
S5 |
AlUla > Hail – 61km (356km) |
Marathon (pt 2) |
|
Fri |
09/01 |
S6 |
Hail > Riyadh – 589km (331km) |
|
|
Sat |
10/01 |
Rest |
Riyadh |
|
|
Sun |
11/01 |
S7 |
Riyadh > Wadi Ad Dawasir – 414km (462km) |
|
|
Mon |
12/01 |
S8 |
Wadi Ad Dawasir > Wadi Ad Dawasir – 236km (481km) |
|
|
Tue |
13/01 |
S9 |
Wadi Ad Dawasir > Bisha – 122km (418km) |
Marathon |
|
Wed |
14/01 |
S10 |
Bisha > Bisha – 46km (371km) |
Marathon (pt 2) |
|
Thu |
15/01 |
S11 |
Bisha > Al Henakiyah – 535km (347km) |
|
|
Fri |
16/01 |
S12 |
Al Henakiyah > Yanbu – 408km (310km) |
|
|
Sat |
17/01 |
S13 |
Yanbu > Yanbu – 36km (105km) |
Final |
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