Summarize

Luciano Benavides delivered a brilliant day of navigation to rack up over seven minutes of road-opening bonus to win Monday’s eighth stage.  His victory moved the Argentine into a ten second overall Dakar 2026 Bike lead over Factory KTM teammate Daniel Sanders. 

Monday’s longest 483 km  lap around Wadi al Dawisir in Saudi Arabia started fast before a series of dunes and then quick tracks to the north for a little rocky running  before winding back to the service bivouac. Running tenth on the road after suffering the responsibility of opening the road on Sunday, Californian Ricky Brabec took charge from the get-go on his Honda Factory CRF450. 

Main rival, 2025 Dakar winner and World Champion, Aussie Daniel Sanders chased as hard as he could to pass the first waypoint second quickest and fourth on the road on his Factory KTM 450 Rally. Honda trio, Utah rider Skyler Howes, Frenchman Adrien van Beveren and Spaniard Tosha Schareina squabbled over third. 

Frenchman Neils Theric’s Kove passed South African Michael Dochery for the Rally 2 lead early in the day while compatriot Brad Cox’ Sherco and Botswana rider, Ross Branch’s Hero Moto ran 14th and 15th. Nothing much changed through the next third besides Sanders halving his deficit to Brabec in front and Docherty reclaiming the Rally 2 lead. Joao Pedrero’s Husqvarna controlled his overall Original no-service class lead out front on the day’s stage.

Luciano Benavides then emerged as the dark horse of the day, riding alone up front to benefit maximum relief from the leader’s bonus and shadow teammate Sanders on the stage leaderboard. And overall. That dark horse shone through as Benavides gathered over seven minutes of road opening bonus to take 4 minutes 50 seconds out of teammate Sanders and not only win the day, but to move into a ten second overall lead, too. 

Brabec faded to end third as he consolidated what is now third overall, a minute behind the KTMs. Honda teammates, Schareina, van Beveren and Howes followed ahead of Édgar Canet on the third factory KTM. There was late drama in Rally 2 as Dochery wrong slotted to allow Neels Theric to take a third win tor Kove in ninth overall, once again denying Martim Ventura’s Honda a maiden win in the class. Ross Branch rode home 11th, Brad Cox 14th.

Overall behind Benavides, Sanders and Brabec, Schareina sits fourth 20 minutes adrift from Howes, Ignacio Cornejo’s Hero, van Beveren, Branch and Rally 2 leader, Preston Campbell’s Factory Honda, with Brad Cox back up to twelfth after his Sunday issues. 

Tuesday is another big day with 418 kilometres of racing to the second no-service Marathon stage bivouac in the middle of the Arabian Desert. Your Dakar Bike Report is powered by Tork Craft tools. Click here for the Dakar Car report.