Sanders survives marathon stage to retake Dakar lead

Stage 4 and Stage 5 were a marathon, meaning no overnight assistance and makeshift campsites set up next to their bikes.

Despite a crash early on Thursday morning, factory KTM rider Luciano Benevides scored his first stage win of the rally and put himself into podium contention.

Benevides led Igancio Cornejo to the tune of 3m51s while Sanders was third and 5m50s off the pace.

“The pace was extremely high all day and I felt strong from the start,” said Benevides.

“I had a small navigation mistake early on, but I stayed calm and focused on keeping a good rhythm.

“I then had a big high-speed crash, but thankfully nothing was damaged and I was able to get back on the bike and continue without losing confidence.

“From that moment on, I just committed to pushing and riding my own race, managing the tyres and staying consistent right to the finish.

“Tyre management was especially important today, and I’m really happy with how I handled it.

“Winning the stage after everything it took to be here is very special for me and gives me a huge boost of confidence and motivation for the days to come.”

Sanders moved back into the lead ahead of Honda’s Ricky Brabec, who trailed by 2m2s at the end of Stage 5.

Benevides moved into third, 5m55s back, while overnight leader Tosha Schareina fell to fourth after receiving a 10-minute penalty for missing a control to officialise his start. In the end, he sat 11m59s in arrears.

“It was a very different marathon stage to what we’ve seen before, and bike and tyre management were key,” said Sanders.

“I was able to make some time early on yesterday, but after checking the tires at the first refuel I knew they could become an issue, so we had to manage them carefully.

“This morning the damage was getting worse, so the priority was not to push too hard and risk ending the race.

“I backed it off through the middle section and focused on getting to the finish, which was the right call.

“I’m happy to have limited the time lost and managed the situation well. We’re nearly at the halfway point now, but the rally is far from over.

“Tomorrow will be important to assess where we stand, and there’s still a lot of racing to come.”

Stage 6 represents the longest day of the rally from Ha’il to Riyadh.

Riders will cover 920 kilometres, including 331 kilometres of competitive action before a long liaison to Saudi Arabia’s capital.

2026 Dakar Rally Bikes Top 10 after Stage 5