Jordi Juvanteny, José Luis Criado and Xavi Ribas secure their category title for the third consecutive year and remain unbeaten since the category was created.

The Spanish team completes the event with a total of four stage wins and a final haul of 237 points, six more than the runner-up.

The MAN 6x6 completes the 6,000 kilometres of the rally (1,168 timed) as the first hydrogen-electric hybrid vehicle in Dakar history.

Juvanteny: “Reaching the finish of a Dakar is always a gift, but doing it by winning for the third consecutive time is an immense happiness. This victory is the reward for impeccable teamwork.”

The KH-7 ECOVERGY Team has made history once again at the Dakar Rally. Jordi Juvanteny, José Luis Criado and Xavi Ribas have been crowned Mission 1000 champions for the third consecutive time, a feat that keeps them unbeaten in a category that will be holding its third edition in 2026. A perfect record that cements the Spanish team as the benchmark of the Dakar Future programme.

The 13th and final stage, contested this Saturday on a loop starting and finishing in Yanbu, confirmed the victory. The route totalled 101 kilometres, with 53 timed, and demanded maximum focus right to the final metre. The Spanish crew finished second on the special and achieved their main objective: completing the stage in Sport Mode, which allowed them to score the maximum possible points of the day (20 points). Their main rivals earned the same haul, so the six-point advantage built up beforehand proved decisive in sealing the title.

“Reaching the finish of a Dakar is always a gift, but doing it by winning for the third consecutive time is an immense happiness. Today we had to give everything to leave our rivals no chance and we ran at a very fast pace. This victory is the reward for impeccable teamwork,” said driver Jordi Juvanteny.

With the Dakar now over, the team’s overall assessment is outstanding. Over the course of the rally, Juvanteny, Criado and Ribas achieved a total of four stage victories. This year, in addition, the regulations imposed a handicap on them due to their status as two-time champions, forcing them to run to stricter reference times than their rivals. Despite this, the team managed each day with intelligence and solidity to finish the rally with 237 points.

Beyond the sporting result, Dakar 2026 represented a new technological milestone for the project. The KH-7 ECOVERGY Team competed with the first hydrogen-electric hybrid vehicle in Dakar history, a key evolution of the MAN 6x6 developed by EVARM. The system retains the hydrogen and HVO base (renewable diesel produced from hydrotreated vegetable oil) and, for the first time, incorporated electric hybridisation, with an electric motor and batteries capable of recovering energy under braking and on descents to reuse it later. In this way, the KH-7 truck completed 6,000 kilometres, 1,168 of which were timed.

Xavi Ribas, EVARM director and the third crew member, highlighted the technological success: “This Dakar has shown that hydrogen and electric hybridisation is competitive and reliable in such an extreme environment. During the rally we were able to validate the system in real conditions, with an emissions level that is virtually CO₂-free. This confirms that you can compete with alternative energies.”

The 48th edition of the Dakar also had a symbolic component. José Luis Criado reached 35 participations in the event, a record he shared this year with Stéphane Peterhansel, while Jordi Juvanteny now totals 34. Together they form a duo with 69 Dakars between them—an example of experience, commitment and motivation.

“After 35 years here, the enthusiasm is still the same as on day one. This triumph is also for all the mechanics and for the family that is the KH-7 ECOVERGY Team. We worked very hard to overcome this year’s challenges and the team spirit was key,” said co-driver José Luis Criado.

With this new win, the KH-7 ECOVERGY Team closes Dakar 2026 reaffirming its dual status as the sporting and technological reference in Mission 1000. Three editions, three titles, a pioneering project and a team that continues to set the course for the future in the toughest rally in the world.

Source: KH-7 ECOVERGY Team