YANBU — The 2026 Dakar Rally reached its penultimate climax on Friday as the caravan returned to the Red Sea shores of Yanbu. Stage 12, a 720-kilometer trek from Al Henakiyah featuring a 311-kilometer timed special, saw Nasser Al-Attiyah secure a record-equaling 50th career stage win while Ricky Brabec executed a high-stakes strategy to put one hand on the 2026 title.
In the Ultimate (Car) category, Al-Attiyah (Dacia Sandriders) was relentless, finishing 1 minute and 4 seconds ahead of Ford’s Mitch Guthrie. The victory was historic, tying the all-time car stage win record held by Ari Vatanen and Stéphane Peterhansel. More importantly, Al-Attiyah extended his overall lead to 16 minutes and 2 seconds over Ford’s Nani Roma, effectively securing a buffer that makes him the heavy favorite heading into tomorrow’s final sprint.
The Bike category was a story of tactical brilliance. Honda’s Ricky Brabec won the stage after deliberately starting six minutes behind rival Luciano Benavides to use him as a “hare.” The gamble paid off: Brabec erased his 23-second overnight deficit and now leads Benavides (KTM) by 3 minutes and 20 seconds in the general classification. Despite a courageous ride, Benavides finished second on the stage, followed by Honda’s Tosha Schareina in third.
“The plan worked perfectly,” Brabec stated upon arrival in Yanbu. “It was a risky move to give up the lead yesterday, but starting further back allowed me to push without the stress of opening the road.”
With only a final 108-kilometer dash around Yanbu remaining on Saturday, both Al-Attiyah and Brabec are poised to cement their legacies—Al-Attiyah for a sixth title and Brabec for a third—barring any catastrophic mechanical failures in the closing kilometers.