Stage One – Yanbu to Yanbu
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s early Dakar Rally form continued into Stage One, with Edgar Canet and Daniel Sanders repeating their prologue performance. The duo delivering another one-two result, mirroring their standings. The stage win, cementing Canet’s dominant form in the history books.
Sunday’s stage one delivered a brutal opening, with a 524-kilometer loop around Yanbu, including 305 kilometres raced against the clock. The day began in unforgiving terrain, where narrow passes and jagged rock gardens demanded maximum focus from all riders. Conditions only eased later on as the route opened into sand and small dunes near the finish, ensuring the first full day of racing pushed riders and machines to the limit from the very first kilometres.
The victory looked to be going the way of Ross Branch who was fastest over the 305 km special, however a speeding penalty of six-minutes dropped him well down the standings. The Hero Motosports Rally Team rider was set to take the stage win by over a minute, along with the overall lead, but ended up in seventh, behind teammate Ignacio (Nacho) Cornejo.
Canet finished 1m02s ahead of Sanders, with Honda’s Ricky Brabec the next closest competitor in third, followed by Tosha Schareina and Luciano Benavides.
Choosing to set off near the back of the lead group courtesy of his prologue victory, Canet immediately focused on chasing down the riders ahead of him. Quickest to the first checkpoint at kilometre 28, Edgar maintained his place inside the top three through to kilometre 260 where he intensified his pace to move further up the order, making very few errors.
Edgar Canet
“I’m really happy with how the rally has started. Winning the prologue gave me a great feeling straight away and my rhythm was good, I felt confident on the bike and I was able to follow the roadbook with 100% confidence, braking before the dangers and avoiding unnecessary risks while still being fast. Today’s stage was very demanding with a lot of different terrain, from fast sections to slow, rocky areas, but my navigation was strong and the bike felt great again. Apart from a small mistake that cost a few seconds, everything came together nicely, so to take another win and start the rally like this is incredible.”
Sanders followed up his second-place prologue performance with another runner-up result. Riding in the dust of fellow KTM racer Canet for the stage, the reigning Dakar Champion did exactly what was necessary to stay in touch with the Spaniard. For stage two, the situation will be the same, with Sanders chasing down his teammate at the front of the field.
Daniel Sanders
“It was great to get underway and just be back on the start line. The prologue was much faster than expected and not very technical, so it was pretty much full gas the whole way and the times were very close, but it was good to get it done and focus on the stages ahead. Stage one was similar in that sense – very fast and quite straightforward – but the conditions made it tricky, with strong winds, a lot of dust and even a sandstorm at times, which made it hard to stay fully focused. Still, it felt good to get through the first proper day without any issues. I’m looking forward to the stages to come when the terrain gets more rocky, which suits me better.”
Despite battling heavy dust throughout the stage, American Ricky Brabec once again led the Honda charge. Benefiting from his 14th starting position, he rode a measured and consistent stage to finish third, just 1’32” behind stage winner Edgar Canet.
Ricky Brabec
“It’s the first official Dakar stage and I’m exactly where I want to be. I don’t want to open this early, but I also don’t want to start at the very back. I’m happy where I’m at, looking forward to stage two and the rest of the rally. Overall, the team is looking good and the mechanics are doing a good job. Tomorrow, I’ll be happy to leave the bivouac and start heading North getting into some cooler weather. I don’t think there was any strategy for me today, for me personally, it was just to make it to the end of the stage with no mistakes and be consistent throughout the day, which I think I managed that fairly well. I’m going into stage two happy, exactly where I want to be and although I not sure when the race will start, we’re pushing hard already, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Tosha Schareina enjoyed a stronger outing on his Honda CRF450 RALLY following yesterday’s prologue. Starting tenth, the Spaniard rode much of the stage alone in difficult, windy conditions, pushing on to secure fourth place, 1’49” off the fastest time.
Tosha Schareina
“Today, we started the first stage, it was not so easy as it was very windy and so fast as well. We started further back so it was easier to follow the tracks. I tried to push and passed some riders, so I ended up in the middle of nowhere, I had nobody in front or behind. So to the end I rode alone and got to the finish in fourth. The battle will continue tomorrow.”
Following on from his fourth-place result in the prologue, Benavides was the 13th rider to enter stage one. Not wanting to fall foul of the technical terrain, the Argentine rode a solid but considered special, taking little in the way of risks to post the fifth-fastest time.
Luciano Benavides – Dakar 2026 Stage One
Luciano Benavides
“It felt really good to get the Dakar underway. There’s always some tension at the start, especially on the prologue, but it was also an important chance to check how my body was feeling. I focused on riding cleanly with a good rhythm and speed, and it was a positive way to begin the rally. Stage one was very fast for an opening day, with some sections that required careful navigation. I made a couple of small mistakes but didn’t lose much time, and in the rockier, more technical areas I chose to be cautious and avoid unnecessary risks. Overall, it was a solid first stage, and I know the pace is there, which gives me confidence moving forward.”
Adrien Van Beveren faced an early loss of front brake, forcing him to adapt his riding style. Undeterred, Van Beveren delivered a determined performance to finish eighth, 5’52” behind Canet.
Adrien Van Beveren – Dakar 2026 Stage One
Adrien Van Beveren
“It was a tough first day. The navigation was tricky, it was quite stony and I lost the front brake after about 30 kilometres. This was tough and made it quite a challenge, but this is part of the Dakar and it can happen. It wasn’t easy, mainly in the dust, as you can’t see far in front and you can’t really anticipate your braking points. I then had some clear air, managed to pass the group in front of me and I could ride normally again. I’m happy, I did my best.”
It was also a tough day for teammate Skyler Howes. Struggling with limited visibility in the dust early on, the American clipped a rock and suffered a crash. Despite riding on with bent handlebars, Howes showed grit and determination to reach the finish in ninth position.
Skyler Howes – Dakar 2026 Stage One
Skyler Howes
“Stage one was a bit of a frustrating day for me, I started in the wrong place and got stuck in the dust in the first part and I couldn’t see, hit a big rock and had a big crash, so I bent the bars pretty bad which made it really hard to push. But, everything’s all good, it was a bit frustrating as it was hard to push my maximum, but I’m glad to be at the finish line of stage one and looking forward to the rest of the first week.”
The Rally2 special saw the prolific Michael Docherty claim his eleventh win in the class on his KTM, beating the rookie Martim Ventura and his Honda, who had spent most of the stage in the lead but came up short in the final dash to the line, by 1′28″.
Martim Ventura (Rally2)
“If one year, or even six months ago, you would have told me that I would be at my first Dakar Rally, with this team and at the first stage, I wouldn’t believe it. I worked for it, the team have helped me so much, the bike is comfortable and I’m super happy. When you ride happy you do well. Sometimes you put pressure on yourself, but this stage was good. I didn’t want to worry about rankings, because I know if I do my race, things will show up with time.”
Toby Price finished the day in 16th in the Ultimate class (four-wheels).
Australian David Brock finished stage one in 94th, 2h13m17s off the leaders.
TT star James Hillier had also been competing in the Malle Moto class (unsupported), but a low speed crash demonstrated just how forgiving the Dakar can be, leaving him with a fractured arm and ending his 2026 Dakar.
James Hillier
“Unfortunately, I’ve got some bad news from today’s stage. I had a low-speed crash about 250 km in and landed awkwardly on some rocks, injuring my arm. I carried on and completed the stage, but deep down I knew I’d done some damage. After a visit to the medical centre, it’s been confirmed that I’ve fractured my arm just below the elbow and have been advised to retire from the remainder of the event. Gutted is an understatement. It’s taken a lot to get here, and I’d once again like to send my appreciation to all my sponsors who made this journey possible.”
Next: Stage Two
Monday’s stage two of the 2026 Dakar Rally will see the teams leave Yanbu and head inland to AlUla. Totalling 504 kilometres, the stage will include a timed special of 400 kilometres, which promises to challenge riders with a mix of both fast and technical terrain.