Dacia’s Nasser Al-Attiyah edged closer to a sixth crown after storming to victory in Dakar Rally 2026 Stage 12, while Honda’s Ricky Brabec dominated the bikes category with a calculated win that solidified his position at the top.
The penultimate 311-kilometer timed special from Al Henakiyah to Yanbu encapsulated the brutal essence of the Dakar, blending high-speed gravel tracks, dusty riverbeds, towering sand dunes, and treacherous volcanic rock canyons, testing the limits of every driver and rider.
The stage kicked off with blistering gravel straights where early pace-setters like Henk Lategan in the Toyota Hilux GR pushed hard, but it was Nasser Al-Attiyah in the Dacia Sandriders hybrid who methodically climbed through the field.
Al-Attiyah seized control just before the 100-kilometer mark, overtaking Mitch Guthrie’s Ford Raptor and briefly benefiting from teammate Sébastien Loeb’s presence in second, showcasing Dacia’s dominance.
Mattias Ekström‘s Ford briefly snatched the lead at the third checkpoint but Al-Attiyah responded with ferocious pace over the subsequent 50km, restoring his advantage and extending it to 1m38s by the final checkpoint.
Al-Attiyah navigated flawlessly in the closing leg through volcanic rock-lined canyons, crossing the line in 3h21m52s for his second stage win of 2026 and an astonishing 50th career Dakar stage victory, equaling legends Stéphane Peterhansel and Ari Vatanen.
Mitch Guthrie mounted a remarkable recovery to claim second on the stage, just 1m4s adrift, after clawing back against his teammate Ekström, while Toby Price in the Toyota Hilux GR delivered a gritty third-place finish, just 1m25s behind the winner.
Mattias Ekström settled for fourth, ahead of Stage 9 winning Energylandia Toyota duo of Eryk Goczal and his uncle Marek Goczal who punched above their weight in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Sébastien Loeb endured a tough day in the second Dacia entry after navigation errors in sandy sections hampered his early rhythm, dropping to seventh, 5m13s off Al-Attiyah.
Nani Roma who entered the stage as Al-Attiyah’s closest rival in the overall leaderboard, faltered to eighth after holding back his pace in the dunes, yet he clings to second overall, 15m2s behind the leader.
Toyota’s Henk Lategan rebounded from prior mechanical woes to finish ninth, while Carlos Sainz Sr rounded out the top 10 in the Ford Raptor as he chases his fourth Dakar crown without a stage win this year.
Dakar Rally 2026: Overall rankings after Stage 12
Bikes: Ricky Brabec takes decisive Stage 12 victory and overall lead
Shifting to the bikes, Ricky Brabec orchestrated a flawless gamble to win Dakar Rally 2026 Stage 12 aboard his Monster Energy Honda HRC CRF Rally, reclaiming the red lantern from KTM’s Luciano Benavides after deliberately ceding it the previous day.
The 311-kilometer test mirrored the cars’ challenges but Brabec attacked from fourth on the road, overtaking Adrien Van Beveren, Skyler Howes, and Edgar Canet early, then pressuring Benavides at the refueling point 223 kilometers in, where he closed to within two minutes.
His 13th career stage win and second of 2026 extended his overall lead to 48h8m12s, while Benavides kept his title hopes alive with a second place finish, falling just 3m20s behind in the overall rankings.
Honda’s dominance shone through as Tosha Schareina took third on stage, his consistent pace landing him third overall (+27m51s), while Van Beveren slotted in fourth to retain sixth overall.
Ross Branch impressed in fifth for Hero just ahead of Mason Klein (Hoto) and Dakar stage 11 winner Skyler Howes (Husqvarna). Edgar Canet (KTM), Bradley Cox (Sherco) and Ignatio Cornejo (Hero) rounded out the top ten.
READ MORE:
Dakar Stage 11: Ford claims podium sweep, Howes takes maiden win in bikes
Dakar Stage 10: Mathieu Serradori wins, Nasser Al-Attiyah takes overall lead
