DAKAR: AL-ATTIYAH CLAIMS HIS SIXTH VICTORY AND TAKES DACIA TO THE TOP

Cavalieri Garage Magazine
5 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

After nearly 8,000 kilometers of racing, with 4,748 km of timed special stages setting the pace over two extreme weeks, the Dakar once again crowns Nasser Al-Attiyah. Paired with Fabian Lurquin, the Qatari driver wins the 48th edition of the toughest marathon in motorsport, adding a sixth personal triumph to an already legendary résumé.

It is a victory that speaks of continuity and adaptability. Al-Attiyah has proven he can win across different continents, technical eras, and projects: from the Volkswagen Touareg to the Mini X-Raid, through the Toyota Hilux, and now with the Dacia Sandrider T1+. A journey that saw him claim three victories in South America, then dominate repeatedly in Saudi Arabia, before writing a new chapter with the Romanian brand of the Renault Group.

This year’s success was built on clarity and composure. While Al-Attiyah’s talent has never been in doubt, the real step forward came from the Sandrider T1+, now in its second year of development. The work carried out by Prodrive, Dacia’s technical partner in rally raid, turned the project into a mature, reliable car, highly effective on the dunes and competitive over long stages. Al-Attiyah, navigated by Lurquin for the first time, completed the picture with an intelligent management of the race.

After an opening phase run without forcing the pace, consistently among the front-runners, the Qatari launched his decisive attack on Stage 6, the longest of the entire Dakar. Confirmation came on Stage 10, before sealing the result once and for all. The final day was little more than a victory lap, wrapped up with a cautious 43rd place in the short loop stage in Yanbu, more than enough to celebrate the win.

If Dacia celebrates, Ford is left with regrets. On the eve of the 2026 Dakar, the Raptor T1+ looked like the absolute benchmark in terms of outright speed, especially on the Saudi dunes. The potential was always there, but what made the difference was strategy, navigation, and managing critical moments. Even so, the American brand secured a double podium with Nani Roma and Mattias Ekström. The Swede claimed his fourth stage win, while the Spaniard was the only true challenger to Al-Attiyah until the very end.

There is, however, bitterness for Sébastien Loeb. The nine-time World Rally Champion ends his tenth Dakar without the trophy, finishing off the podium despite a second place on the final stage. Never truly decisive, Loeb failed to win a single stage, fueling what now feels like a real Dakar curse. A similar fate, for different reasons, befell Carlos Sainz: his dream of a fifth Dakar victory was shattered by an engine problem on his Ford Raptor.

Among the most positive stories is the sixth overall place for Team Century. Mathieu Serradori and Loïc Muner were among the biggest surprises of the 2026 Dakar: fast, consistent, and solid, they finished ahead of reigning W2RC champion Lucas Moraes by just over two minutes. The Brazilian, who made a last-minute switch to Team Dacia after leaving Toyota, paid the price for his limited familiarity with the Sandrider T1+.

Toyota, last year’s winner, was unable to repeat its success. The early retirement of Yazeed Al Rajhi as soon as Stage 4 shifted the spotlight to Henk Lategan, extremely quick on the dunes but hampered by technical issues on his Hilux T1+. Stepping up instead was Toby Price: the former two-wheel legend finished with a solid eighth overall, ahead of Seth Quintero and Saood Variawa.

Final car standings – Top 10

Al-Attiyah / Lurquin (Dacia Sandrider T1+) – 48h56’53”
Roma / Haro (Ford Raptor T1+) – +9’42”
Ekström / Bergkvist (Ford Raptor T1+) – +14’33”
Loeb / Boulanger (Dacia Sandrider T1+) – +15’10”
Sainz / Cruz (Ford Raptor T1+) – +28’30”
Serradori / Minaudier (Century CR7 T1+) – +45’02”
Moraes / Zenz (Dacia Sandrider T1+) – +47’50”
Price / Monleon (Toyota GR Hilux T1+) – +52’07”
Quintero / Short (Toyota GR Hilux T1+) – +1h15’02”
Variawa / Cazalet (Toyota GR Hilux T1+) – +1h23’36”