Jordi Juvanteny, José Luis Criado and Xavi Ribas secured their fourth stage win of Dakar 2026 after completing the special in Sport Mode and collecting the maximum possible score (20 points).
The Spanish team maintains an 11-point lead at the top of the Mission 1000 category with two days remaining.
Juvanteny: “It was a very difficult stage, with a route where the truck was moving around a lot. Even so, the hydrogen-electric hybrid system is working extremely well.”
An excellent performance by the KH-7 ECOVERGY Team in Stage 11 of the 2026 Dakar Rally. On the longest day of the entire race for the Mission 1000 participants, covering a total of 799 kilometers (97 timed) between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Jordi Juvanteny, José Luis Criado and Xavi Ribas took the win and retained the lead in the category.
The team stopped the clock at 1 hour, 27 minutes and 12 seconds, almost half an hour quicker than the reference time set by the organizers (1h 57m). They were also 6 minutes and 14 seconds faster than the second-placed crew. This result allowed the Spanish crew to score the maximum points available by running in Sport Mode: 10 bonus points plus 10 points for finishing the stage.
Despite a small navigation mistake that cost them around seven minutes, the team was able to set a very high pace to take the stage convincingly. The KH-7 ECOVERGY Team now has four stage victories in this edition of the Dakar and retains an 11-point advantage at the top of the Mission 1000 overall standings. This scenario strengthens their bid for a third consecutive crown in the category, having won every edition held to date.
The day featured a mix of fast dirt tracks, crossings, trees and rocky sections. A demanding route that once again tested the truck’s reliability. In this context, the MAN 6x6 performed without issues and once again confirmed the strength of a pioneering Dakar project, committed to hydrogen-electric hybrid technology as a pathway toward more sustainable competition.
“It was a very difficult stage, with a route where the truck was moving around a lot. Even so, the hydrogen-electric hybrid system is working extremely well and is allowing us to maintain strong performance. After a small navigation mistake we were able to correct it and keep pushing at a very high pace, which helped us win the stage and score the maximum points. Only two days remain and we’re leading the category,” said driver Jordi Juvanteny.
Dakar 2026 is now entering its final stretch. This Friday, the penultimate stage will take place between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, covering 466 kilometers in total (95 against the clock), where the KH-7 ECOVERGY Team will aim to defend first position on a day that could prove decisive.
Source: KH-7 ECOVERGY
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