Summarize

Dakar’s 2026 Bike day proved absolutely sensational with the top four split by less than fifteen seconds to leave Honda duo and top two on the day, Tosha Schareina and Ricky Brabec tied in the overall lead. Motswana hero Ross branch enjoyed another consistent day to stay in the hunt overall, but South African Rally 2 star, Michael Dochery’s meteoric run came to an end with a broken wheel.

The first part of the first of two marathon stages in 2026, the Bikes raced a separate route to the Dakar Cars on Wednesday on a particularly challenging 417 kilometre routed to the deep desert bivouac in the Al’Ula area. Riders faced everything from tight, rocky canyons to sandy plateaus and long, fast sections wound together by the trickiest of navigation challenges.

Honda Factory CRF450 riders, Spaniard Schareina and Californian Brabec led the way through the first waypoint ahead of South African Rally 2 sensation Michael Docherty’s KTM and Tork Craft rider, Ross Branch on his Hero Moto 450 Rally. 2025 winner, World Champion and 2026 leader, Aussie Daniel Sanders sat sixth on his Factory KTM 450 Rally. Docherty and Branch then shared out the lead until just before mid-distance.

Then disaster struck Docherty, who was forced to stop with a damaged rear wheel to put paid to his hopes of the Rally 2 win. Michael had not been headed in class until then. That left Branch to contend with Honda trio Schareina, Brabec and another US rider, Skyler Howes, with Sanders, Chilean Hero Moto rider Ignacio Cornejo, Argentine Luciano Benavides’ KTM and French Honda man Adrien van Beveren all in the fray in what promised to be the closest Dakar Day result in years.

And that it was, as Schareina led Honda teammates Brabec and Howes to a red 1-2-3 with Branch just 14 seconds adrift of the lead in fourth for Hero. Sanders was fifth in what seemed an eternity, another two minutes behind from rookie KTM teammate Edgar Canet, van Beveren less than four minutes off winning teammate Schareina and South African Bradley Cox in tenth on his Sherco.

Frenchman Niels Theric meanwhile took his Chinese Kove machine to its maiden Rally 2 victory as he once again prevented US rider Preston Campbell from finally scoring Honda’s maiden victory in the class on his Factory CRF450. Pole Konrad Dabrowski’s KTM was third in Docherty’s absence. Tuesday winner Spaniard Josep Pedrero once again led the no-service ‘Malle Moto’ Original class on his KTM.

Incredibly, it’s even closer overall, with Honda duo Tosha Schareina and Ricky Brabec provisionally tied in the lead after four days of racing. KTM trio Sanders, a minute, and a half adrift, Canet ten minutes further back, and Benavides another two behind, sit third, fourth and fifth from Botswana’s Branch and Skyler Howes, just seconds behind. Bradley Cox rides in tenth ahead of new Rally 2 leader Campbell.

Thursday’s second half of the first Marathon stage heads to Ha'il on another demanding 357 kilometre route. Your Dakar Bike Report is powered by Tork Craft tools. Find Wednesday's Car report here.