This year’s event, which took place from 3 to 17 January, was contested across the deserts of Saudi Arabia and covered close to 8 000 kilometres.

For Toyota Gazoo Racing SA (TGRSA), the rally proved to be one of the most demanding in recent memory, with crews contending with relentless rocky terrain, deep dune systems, complex navigation, and two gruelling Marathon stages.

All three TGRSA GR Hilux crews reached the finish, underlining both the endurance of the cars and the determination of the team. Throughout the two‑week rally, they consistently demonstrated competitive pace, the team says.

Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet led the team’s overall performance, finishing 10th overall and making Variawa the top‑placed South African driver at Dakar 2026. Their campaign included a hard‑fought Stage 8 victory and frequent top‑ten stage results.

TGRSA says that if it had not been for a combination of punctures, a damaged driveshaft and time lost in navigation‑heavy sections, the pairing showed pace capable of challenging well inside the overall top five.

The overall results:

Cars:

In the Car category, Qatar’s Nasser Al‑Attiyah secured a remarkable sixth overall Dakar win, driving a Dacia Sandrider alongside Belgian co‑driver Fabian Lurquin. The Sandrider is a purpose‑built rally prototype developed under the Dacia/Renault Group in collaboration with Prodrive, with significant engineering work carried out in the United Kingdom and France.

Second place went to Spain’s Nani Roma with co‑driver Alex Haro in a Ford Raptor, a high‑performance off‑road racing machine developed by Ford Performance in the United States.

Third was Sweden’s Mattias Ekström with co‑driver Emil Bergkvist, also in a Ford Raptor. Fourth place went to France’s Sébastien Loeb with co‑driver Edouard Boulanger in a Dacia, while Spain’s Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz finished fifth in a Ford.

Rounding out the top ten in the cars were Mathieu Serradori (France) in a Century CR7, Lucas Moraes (Brazil) in a Dacia, Toby Price (Australia) and Seth Quintero (USA) in Toyota Hilux GR vehicles, and Saood Variawa (South Africa) in a Toyota Hilux IMT EVO. Toyota Hilux vehicles are developed for rally‑raid competition by Toyota Gazoo Racing, based on global production and engineering programmes in South Africa.

Bikes:

In the Bikes category, Argentina’s Luciano Benavides delivered one of the closest finishes in Dakar history, winning by just two seconds over the United States’ Ricky Brabec. Both rode KTM 450 Rally bikes for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team. KTM motorcycles are designed and manufactured in Austria with competition‑specific tuning for rally raids. Third place went to Tosha Schareina of Spain on a Honda CRF450 Rally, built in Japan.

Also finishing in the top ten on two wheels were Skyler Howes and Preston Campbell (both USA, Honda), Daniel Sanders (Australia, KTM), José Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Chile, Hero), Ross Branch (Botswana, Hero), and Toni Mulec (Slovenia, KTM). Hero bikes are assembled in India and developed to international rally‑raid specifications.

T3 Class:

The Challenger (T3) class was won by Spain’s Pau Navarro in a Taurus T3 Max, a light prototype rally vehicle designed for agility and performance in desert conditions. Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Seaidan finished second, with Argentina’s Nicolás Cavigliasso third, all driving Taurus vehicles. These prototypes are engineered for rally‑raid competition with components sourced from European and Middle Eastern suppliers.

Stock Class:

In the Stock class, the Land Rover Defender Dakar D7X‑R dominated as Lithuanian driver Rokas Baciuška claimed victory. The Defender, inspired by the well‑known production model, was prepared specifically for Dakar with performance upgrades to its engine and chassis. Sara Price of the United States finished second, with Peterhansel placing third in class.

SSV:

The SSV class saw American Brock Heger take the win in a Polaris RZR, a purpose‑built side‑by‑side vehicle developed in the United States. Kyle Chaney (USA, Can‑Am) and Xavier de Soultrait (France, Polaris) completed the top three.

Trucks:

Finally, the Trucks category was won by Vaidotas Žala of Lithuania, piloting a purpose‑built rally truck. Aleš Loprais and Mitchel van den Brink rounded out the leading positions. These trucks are typically constructed with high‑torque engines and reinforced chassis by specialised European teams.