Schareina tops Dakar Stage Three as Sanders retains lead

2026 Dakar Rally

Stage Three – Alula to Alula

KTM has dominated the Dakar Rally up until Stage Three, with Edgar Canet and Daniel Sanders sharing the wins, and leading the standings, but the challenge of opening the third stage saw Sanders drop down the results, with the HRC duo of Tosha Schareina and Ricky Brabec taking top honours.

Totalling a grueling 736 kilometres, stage three saw riders complete a demanding loop around AlUla, featuring the longest timed special of the rally so far at 421 kilometres. The route cut through the region’s sandy canyons, plateaus, and narrow tracks, where fading lines and frequent changes in rhythm placed a heavy emphasis on navigation, high speeds and technical sections.

Tosha Schareina

Spaniard Schareina – runner-up to Sanders last year – won the day’s stage in AlUla by 2m17s, enjoying his first stage win since 2024. The result leaving him third overall.

Tosha Schareina

“It was good, it was not easy, many rocks again. The navigation was really really tricky. I tried to push, the strategy for today was to win and we did it. But it’s just the beginning, tomorrow we’ll start in front, so we’ll see. Always with the marathon we have to take care with tyres, the machine, ourselves, and we will do. I have a good position, I try to open all day, and that’s my goal. It’s just the third day, despite everything that’s happened, but yea, we are there in the battle and it’s good to see that.”

Australia’s Sanders’ victory in Stage Two saw him obliged to open the way for much of the 421 km special, the only other rider to join him was Ricky Brabec, who is proving to be another man on form. Brabec moves into second place in the general rankings, 1m07s behind Sanders, who retains the overall lead.

Daniel Sanders – Dakar 2026 Stage Three

Opening the stage from start to finish, Sanders earned over six minutes in bonus time, and completed the day’s podium 3m28s behind the leader, with Luciano Benavides (+4m30s) and Skyler Howes (4m32s) completing the top-five, while Ross Branch was the top Hero, 10m38s off pace in sixth.

Daniel Sanders – Dakar 2026 Stage Three

Daniel Sanders

“It was definitely a tough stage, as we expected in this area, and probably one of the most demanding navigation days I’ve experienced. The pace was a little slower than anticipated, but that made accurate navigation even more important. I’m really happy with how I rode and navigated overall, keeping a good rhythm and avoiding any major mistakes. There were a few small errors, but considering how difficult the stage was, it was a solid day. Not having to open tomorrow should help, and while it’s going to be another challenging stage, starting further back could allow us to make up some time.”

Luciano Benavides – Dakar 2026 Stage Three

Luciano Benavides

“Overall it was a good stage for me, especially the first part where I felt really strong and had a good rhythm. After catching some riders ahead, the dust made things more difficult and I started to make a few small mistakes, including a couple of light crashes. The navigation in the second half was very tough if you tried to push, and it was easy to miss corners, so I paid the price there. Even so, I’m happy with the bike and the feeling, and it’s clear this is going to be a very demanding rally.”

Next was Canet, slightly behind the pace compared to the first three days and dropping one place down the rankings to fourth – with his seventh place finish.

Edgar Canet – Dakar 2026 Stage Three

Edgar Canet

“It was a really tough and very long day, with extremely demanding navigation and a lot of rocks, so it was physically and mentally exhausting. The important thing is that we got through it without any crashes, which is already a positive on a stage like this. I had a really good rhythm up to the refueling, but afterwards I lost that feeling a little, although I’m still happy to be at the finish after such a difficult day. Starting second and following one line ahead worked well, and I think we did a solid job. With the marathon stage coming up, the focus will be on looking after the bike and tires, especially in these rocky conditions, and using this experience to keep learning and improving.”

Adrien Van Beveren reached the finish with the day’s eighth best time, The Frenchman losing almost 13-minutes to his teammate, but improving by two positions in relation to yesterday, climbing into eighth place overall.

Michael Docherty won the Rally 2 stage ahead of Monster Energy Honda HRC official riders Martim Ventura (+3m13s) and Preston Campbell (+6m57s). The South African claiming his third victory in four days of racing. He also consolidated his lead in the general rankings and is now 3m32s ahead of Ventura, who remains his closest pursuer on his very first Dakar.

Tobias Ebster appears to have lost his chance at the title for which he was one of the favourites (after ninth overall and 2nd in the R2 class in 2025). Due to a hand injury following a crash, the Austrian rider is expected to withdraw: although the rules allow him to resume racing, he will no longer be able to make his riding count in the championship battle.

Next: Stage Four

Wednesday’s stage four of the Dakar Rally marks the opening half of the event’s first marathon stage. A short 75-kilometer liaison will lead riders into a demanding 417-kilometer special, set out in a loop around AlUla. Riders will then spend the night in a temporary bivouac, where no outside assistance is permitted.

2026 Dakar Rally Stage Three Results
(Provisional)

1. T. SCHAREINA 4:26:39
2. R. BRABEC +2:17
3. D. SANDERS +3:28
4. L. BENAVIDES +4:30
5. S. HOWES +4:32
6. R. BRANCH +10:38
7. E. CANET +11:44
8. A. VAN BEVEREN +12:45
9. M. DOCHERTY +12:54
10. M. VENTURA +16:07

2026 Dakar Rally Standings after Stage Three
(Provisional)

1. D. SANDERS 12:12:31
2. R. BRABEC +1:07
3. T. SCHAREINA +1:13
4. E. CANET +8:46
5. L. BENAVIDES +11:06
6. S. HOWES +13:41
7. R. BRANCH +14:56
8. A. VAN BEVEREN +23:26
9. M. DOCHERTY +23:26
10. M. VENTURA +26:58

2026 Dakar Rally Route/Schedule

2026 Dakar Rally route

2026 Dakar Rally route