Luciano Benavides edged out Ricky Brabec by 2 seconds, the narrowest margin in the history of the rally, in the latest twist ever seen in the Dakar, a navigation error 7 km from the line.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing exploded in jubilation, while the American Monster Energy Honda HRC rider, who missed out on a three-peat, swallowed his bitter defeat with dignity. The Argentinian picked up the first rally of his career, joining his brother Kevin (a winner in 2021 and 2023) in the annals of the race.
In the context of the 2026 Dakar, the days when Daniel Sanders seemed in a league of his own, with Tosha Schareina as his sole potential challenger, seem like a lifetime ago! The balance of power shifted when the Spaniard was slapped with a 10-minute penalty for ignoring flags while exiting the bivouac-refuge (stage 5), but Monster Energy Honda HRC found a rock-solid replacement leader in Ricky Brabec, who looked more than capable of taking the fight to the Australian. The duel was indeed shaping up to be a classic, right until the world champion smashed his shoulder on the road to Bisha, scuppering his hopes of back-to-back titles without forcing him to withdraw.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing camp refused to give up, however, as a new ace began to show its hand. A solid Luciano Benavides claimed the overall lead for the first time by taking his third special of the year in stage 8 (winning from the front), but “Chucky” was still very much in the hunt, just 10 seconds adrift.
After Sanders crashed, the full weight of the KTM squad rested on the shoulders of the Argentinian, leaving him face to face with Brabec, a two-time winner (2020 and 2024) who was clearly still in top shape. Supplementing his precision riding, the American attempted a gamble, perhaps even a stroke of genius, by sandbagging at the end of stage 11. This left Benavides in the overall lead by a mere 23 seconds, but in the worst possible position for stage 12: a mathematical deathtrap paired with a psychological hammer blow for a leader on borrowed time, who looked a shadow of his usual self that evening.
The script written by the American was playing out perfectly. Brabec started the final stage (usually considered a formality) with 3′20″ in hand. The deal was all but sealed… until km 98.4! Opening the way, the rider had just 7 km of parade riding left, but a navigation error sent him slightly too far left, forcing him into a loop of about 3 km to get back on track. Meanwhile, Luciano Benavides charged across the finish line and saw Ricky Brabec clock in 2 seconds too late, the narrowest margin ever in the Dakar standings. Absolute madness! It was an even tighter finish than that of his two-time winner brother Kevin Benavides, who had also turned the tables on the final day in 2023, winning by 43 seconds over Toby Price.
KTM’s 21ˢᵗ Dakar victory heralded the rise of an orange tide in the Red Sea, as the Rally2 class also saw a dramatic turnaround at Honda’s expense. Preston Campbell, the son of the former rider Johnny Campbell (who happens to be Brabec’s mentor), had been perched at the summit right up until the finish of stage 11, where the slow but steady comeback of the Slovenian Toni Mulec finally paid off.
The BAS World KTM satellite team’s rider, competing in his 4ᵗʰ Dakar, never looked back, finishing with 4′37″ to spare over his defeated rival. The 26-year-old American, 10ᵗʰ overall, got the top rookie title as a consolation prize.
Last but not least, Benjamin Melot, 18ᵗʰ overall, finally got his hands on the title in the Original by Motul class for riders without service crews, which had narrowly escaped him last year. This time round, he beat the Spaniard Josep Pedró by 14′32″.