WADI AD-DAWASIR — The 2026 Dakar Rally intensified on Monday as Luciano Benavides and Saood Variawa secured pivotal victories in Stage 8, a demanding 483-kilometer timed special that began and ended in the desert hub of Wadi Ad-Dawasir. The stage featured a high-speed mix of sand dunes and rocky valleys, compounded by severe wind conditions that tested the navigational limits of the world’s elite rally-raid competitors.
In the Bike category, Red Bull KTM’s Luciano Benavides delivered a masterclass in “opening the road.” Despite the disadvantage of starting first, the Argentinian capitalized on 7 minutes and 28 seconds of bonus time to secure his second consecutive stage win. Benavides finished with a time of 4 hours, 26 minutes, and 39 seconds, effectively leapfrogging his teammate Daniel Sanders to take the overall lead by a razor-thin margin of just 10 seconds. Monster Energy Honda’s Ricky Brabec rounded out the stage podium, trailing by 5 minutes and 2 seconds.
The Car (Ultimate) category saw a breakthrough performance from Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s Saood Variawa. The young South African driver claimed his first stage win of the 2026 edition, edging out his teammate Henk Lategan by a mere three seconds in a photo-finish at the bivouac. Despite the Toyota surge, Dacia Sandriders’ Nasser Al-Attiyah maintained his position at the top of the general classification, though Ford’s Mattias Ekström remains a significant threat, sitting just four minutes behind in the overall standings.
According to the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the day’s conditions were among the most challenging of the second week, with high winds creating sandstorm-like visibility for the mid-pack. “The wind was crazy; it felt like a sandstorm where you couldn’t see the bumps,” Benavides noted in his post-stage briefing.
The rally now enters a critical phase as competitors depart Wadi Ad-Dawasir for Stage 9, the first leg of a decisive marathon stage. This 541-kilometer journey will lead the field toward Bisha, where drivers and riders must spend the night without external mechanical assistance.