After two very difficult days, which the team managed to overcome by staying in the race, SSV Rally Raid World Champion Alexandre Pinto, navigated by Bernardo Oliveira, is today in Riyadh for a well-deserved day of rest, preparing to attack the second half of the 2026 Dakar Rally, which resumes tomorrow, with determination and grit.
"We are on the rest day of the Dakar Rally, which also means that we are halfway through the race. The first week started very positively for us, despite a few setbacks, but these were minor issues, normal in a race of this nature, until, in these last two stages, we had real problems. In the second part of the marathon stage, a suspension broke, and yesterday, other mechanical problems caused us to finish near the end of the stage. Once again, Bruno and Eurico came to our aid. My sincere thanks to them and to Santag Racing for all their support. They towed us yesterday, which allowed us to get here to Riyadh and continue in the race. Right now, the car is being prepared and we are also organizing everything for the days ahead. For us, it's a day of rest, but for our mechanics, it's a day of hard work," explained the Old Friends Rally Team driver, adding: "All that remains to be said is that we are in the race, we are in the fight, although, with all these setbacks, we are already six hours behind the leaders. It's a more unfortunate Dakar Rally for us, but we're not going to give up, we're going to keep fighting and try to get out of here with the best possible result and score for the World Championship, thinking stage by stage."
The competition returns tomorrow with a stage connecting Riyadh to Wadi ad Dawasir, comprising a selective sector of 462 kilometers, plus 414 kilometers of connections. The sandy sections are relatively fast and sometimes flanked by dense bushes, but do not present any significant dangers.
Source: Official Press Release
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