Eryk Goczal delivered a stunning victory in Dakar Rally 2026 Stage 9 leading a dominant Energylandia Toyota 1-2 ahead of his uncle Michal Goczal, as navigation errors and mechanical woes plagued frontrunners.
The 418km marathon stage from Wadi ad-Dawasir to Bisha tested competitors across categories with rocky tracks, treacherous dunes, winding paths through vegetation, and complex waypoint sequences that demanded pinpoint precision amid fatigue from the rally’s demanding schedule.
Starting deep in the running order, the 21-year-old Polish driver capitalized on clear tracks laid out by earlier runners, avoiding the pitfalls that ensnared overnight leader Nasser Al-Attiyah and others, ultimately crossing the line seven minutes ahead of his uncle Michal for a family 1-2 finish in the Ultimate class.
The stage unfolded under the intense Saudi Arabian sun on January 12, 2026, marking the first half of a grueling marathon leg where separate routes for bikes and vehicles amplified the challenges, with minimalist bivouacs at the end forcing self-reliance on repairs.
Early dominance came from Reigning World Rally-Raid champion Lucas Moraes dominated early running in his Dacia Sandrider, building a 1m30s lead over Toyota’s Guy Botterill by the 271km checkpoint.
Disaster struck shortly after, however, as both leaders encountered misfortunes—likely navigation blunders in the waypoint-heavy sections—plunging them from contention and catapulting Eryk Goczal into the virtual lead.
Goczal in the #205 Energylandia Toyota benefited from the tire tracks of predecessors to secure his maiden Ultimate class stage win, highlighting the customer team’s prowess over factory Toyota efforts.
Eryk’s teammate Michal Goczal shadowed his nephew’s performance flawlessly, dodging the chaos to claim second place aboard the #209 albeit copped a 10-second time penalty.
Toyota’s Toby Price delivered the best result among factory manufacturer entries in third place, 11 minutes adrift, after edging out Brian Baragwanath who claimed a surprise fourth in the Century Racing CR7.
Guillaume de Mevius steered his X-Raid Mini to a solid fifth, demonstrating reliability in the navigation-heavy terrain, while Cristina Gutierrez shone as the top Dacia finisher in sixth, capitalizing after her teammates faltered.
Carlos Sainz Sr. endured a challenging day with over 15 minutes lost, including a 1m10s overspeeding penalty in controlled zones, yet his Ford Raptor clawed back to seventh ahead of teammate Nani Roma who finished eighth to claim the overall lead, while Mini’s Lionel Baud impressed in ninth.
The Toyota factory squad endured a nightmare Dakar marathon stage with Seth Quintero in 10th, Guy Botterill 11th, and title hopeful Henk Lategan 12th after battling power steering issues that compounded navigation woes on the rocky, pace-changing tracks.
What is Dakar marathon stage? The ultimate endurance test explained
Dakar Rally categories explained: Full guide to W2RC season opener
Overnight leader Nasser Al-Attiyah suffered catastrophically in his Dacia after getting lost in winding vegetation sections around the 280km mark, finishing 26 minutes down in 13th, a blow that dropped him to third overall.
Further back, Ford’s Mattias Ekstrom hemorrhaged over 30 minutes en route to the Refuge Bivouac in Bisha, while teammate Mitch Guthrie lost more than an hour, effectively ending their overall ambitions in the Dakar marathon’s unforgiving embrace.
Dacia’s Sebastien Loeb held firm in 17th despite a half-hour deficit, consolidating sixth overall, as did Mathieu Serradori in his Century for ninth.
Bikes: Honda’s Schareina wins Dakar Stage 9 as Sanders reclaims overall lead
In the motorcycle category, Honda’s Tosha Schareina mastered the separate bike route’s rocky passages, summits, and dunes to claim victory in Dakar Rally 2026 Stage 9, outpacing rivals by over four minutes.
KTM’s Daniel Sanders followed in second, 4m35s behind, taking back the overall lead with consistent pacing through the 541km total distance covered to that point.
Ricky Brabec rounded out the bike podium for Monster Energy Honda, 6m22s off Schareina, while teammates Skyler Howes and Adrien van Beveren made it four Hondas in the top five, 7m54s and 10m10s down, highlighting the Japanese manufacturer’s grit in Dakar marathon stage.
Bradley Cox was sixth on Sherco, followed by Dakar Stage 8 winner Luciano Benavides who only mustered seventh in a troubling day for KTM. Hoto’s Mason Klein and Hero duo of Ross Branch and Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo Pauline rounded the top ten.
READ MORE:
Dakar Rally 2026 Stage 8: Variawa leads Toyota 1-2, Benavides takes overall lead in bikes
Dakar Rally 2026 Stage 7: Ekstrom takes victory as Lategan fades in late drama
