Saood Variawa (Toyota) wins stage narrowly ahead of Henk Lategan (Toyota) – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) defends lead, but rivals are closing in
South African Toyota driver Saood Variawa caused a surprise on the eighth stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. Variawa won the stage just ahead of his brand colleague Henk Lategan and Mattias Ekström (Ford). Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) defended his lead in the overall standings.
The eighth stage consisted of a loop south of Wadi ad-Dawasir. With a timed section of 483 kilometers, it was a long, hard day for both man and machine. And in the car category, a supposed outsider stole the show.
Ford driver Ekström was the first to reach the finish line. The Swede had to open today’s route, but Variawa, who started 53 minutes later in 26th place, put in a furious drive, especially in the final section.
In the intermediate classification after 382 kilometers, Variawa was still sixth, but after 414 kilometers he was already third, and at the finish line he won the stage by just three seconds. Two South African Toyota drivers had reason to celebrate on Monday, as Lategan finished second.
Ekström, who looked like the day’s winner for a long time, was beaten by just 29 seconds and finished third. “It was very windy and difficult because of the visibility,” reported the Ford driver. “We had a real challenge out there.”
“There were a lot of trees in some places, and you arrive at high speed and can damage the car. But we didn’t have any flat tires or navigation problems. It felt good. We enjoyed it, and for me it was a really great stage.”
Al-Attiyah was 1:16 minutes behind at the finish and came fourth behind Seth Quintero (Toyota). “Very difficult,” said Al-Attiyah. “We made a small mistake shortly before the finish and lost about three minutes. But okay, I’m happy with the performance.”
Al-Attiyah defended his lead in the overall standings, but his pursuers closed the gap slightly. Ekström is exactly four minutes behind and Lategan 6:08 minutes. Behind them are Ford drivers Nani Roma (+9:37 minutes) and Carlos Sainz (10:39). Sebastien Loeb, who finished eighth in the eighth stage in his Dacia, remains in sixth place overall. Compared to the previous day, his deficit has increased slightly and now stands at 17:25 minutes.
Motorcycles: Benavides snatches the lead from Sanders
The motorcyclists were expecting a stage with difficult navigation. Luciano Benavides had to open the route after his stage victory yesterday, but including time bonuses, this did not represent a serious disadvantage.
The KTM rider already had good times at the first intermediate stages. Benavides was the first rider to reach the finish line. With the time bonuses, the Argentine secured the stage victory and also took the lead in the overall standings. “The last two stages were a bit faster, and in these conditions I can really ride well and make great decisions,” said a delighted Benavides. “I pushed hard all day and felt great.”
Despite finishing second, Sanders lost a total of 4:50 minutes in the day’s results. Benavides now leads the overall standings by ten seconds ahead of his KTM teammate. “Navigation was a little easier today,” Sanders reported.
“But it was extremely difficult to make up time on Luciano in first place. It was bad luck for anyone who wasn’t first or second. Starting from fourth place was really hard to make up time, and any mistake meant you had no chance of catching up with the leaders.”
Honda rider Ricky Brabec remains in contention for the overall victory, 4:47 minutes behind. His teammate Tosha Schareina is already 20 minutes behind in fourth place. The second marathon stage of this year’s Dakar Rally starts on Tuesday.
The participants leave Wadi ad-Dawasir and take a northern route. Motorcycles (410 kilometers) and cars (418 kilometers) will again take separate routes. In the evening, there will only be a temporary bivouac. The drivers will be on their own without support from their teams.