Summarize

The Dakar 2026 Bike lead has changed twice in two days to see just 26 seconds between Luciano Benavides’ KTM and Ricky Brabec’s Honda with just over 400 of the race’s 5000 kilometres left to run. On a day where Skyler Howes dominated for Honda, the Rally 2 lead also changed, while its also close in Original, And the Southern African trio all enjoyed decent days in the saddle.

The day’s 346 kilometre special of mainly quick tracks with a little rock and sand for good measure to Al Henakiyah, was one of the year’s fastest. Utah, US rider Skyler Howes led the way through the first waypoint aboard his Honda Factory CRF450 from Wednesday winner, his French teammate, Adrien van Beveren and Factory KTM duo, Spanish Rally GP rookie Édgar Canet and second overall Argentine Luciano Benavides.

Overall leader, Californian Ricky Brabec rode sixth ahead of Spanish Honda teammate Tosha Schareina, while Slovenian Toni Mulec led Rally 2 from South African Michael Docherty’s similar KTM. Canet and Brabec moved up to second and third as the day progressed before Brabec moved into second to consolidate his lead over Benavides in sixth. 

Docherty followed from Durban Sherco Factory Rally GP ace Bradley Cox and Rally 2 challenger Neels Theric, who restarted after a Wednesday issue on his Kove. Survivors, Motswana Ross Branch followed in tenth aboard his Hero Moto and first week star and 2025 winner Daniel Sanders was 14th on his KTM.

Sanders raced the day win, but there was drama behind. Brabec lost three minutes to drop behind van Beveren, Canet, notably Benavides and Schareina. Cox and Branch found pace at the end to seventh and eighth, while Mulec and Honda rider Martim Ventura deposed Docherty for the Rally 2 1-2 with all of six seconds between the three. Original fighters, Spaniard Joao Pedro’s Husqvarna took the no service win to close his overall deficit to down to 10 seconds off leader, Frenchman Benjamin Melot.

The upshot is that Luciano Benavides and his KTM have moved back into the lead by all of 23 seconds over Honda man Brabec. Schareina remains third, fifteen minutes behind from Sanders, Howes and van Beveren. Ross Branch sits eighth behind Chilean Hero Moto teammate Ignacio Cornejo, with Cox ninth in Rally GP. There was also a change in Rally 2 overall as Toni Mulec moved into a two and a half minute lead over Honda lad Preston Campbell and Melot leads Pedrero in Original.

415 kilometres of Dakar 2026 remains on Friday and Saturday starting with 310 km back to Yanbu on Friday before a tricky final 105 km loop to the finish there on Saturday 17 January and all three Bike class wins still very much in the line. Your Dakar Bike Report is powered by Tork Craft tools. Click here for the Dakar Car Preview.