This day was marked by high speed and close competition in the Challenger category. Sergei Remennik’s crew ran a smooth, clean stage preserving their vehicle en route to the final stage.
After tense and grueling marathon days, the Dakar Rally is gradually approaching its finish line. Each stage increasingly becomes not only a battle for seconds but also a test of other qualities, including the crew’s endurance in the face of increasing fatigue, the ability to maintain concentration over the course, and the talent to preserve their vehicles. The eleventh stage of the rally was another step toward the two-week battle climax, a day where high speed, navigational precision, and composure could play no less a role than proper pace.
Stage 11: Route and Conditions
Today the rally caravan has left Bisha and headed north to Al Henakiyah. The route ran along a plateau with slight elevation changes. At first glance, it was a flat and open terrain, but no less treacherous. This was one of the fastest selective sections of the entire 2026 edition. The high average speed required constant self-control, as it is on such tracks that navigational traps are most often lurking. The open terrain, strong winds of recent days, and abundant dust in places significantly complicated the crews task, and the presence of nomadic camps scattered throughout the region added an additional attention factor.
In the second half of the stage, the track nature changed repeatedly. Narrow paths alternating with sand and rocks led the crews onto a fast plateau, where speed again combined with the need for precise navigation. The rocky sections gradually gave way to smoother, sandier roads leading to the neutralization zone, after which the distance remained fast until the very finish, with occasional bumps, a narrow section along the pass, and dust accompanying the competitors until the final kilometers.
Day Timeline. High Pace and Stability
The day may not have featured any particularly exciting or dramatic events, but it was memorable for its perfect high-speed battle. Paul Spierings was once again opening the track in his category after his third stage win during the rally. However, from the first kilometers, it became clear that the group of pursuers wouldn’t give him an easy ride: Kevin Benavides, Yasir Seaidan, Dania Akeel, and Nicolas Cavigliasso were determined to close the gap and maintained a high pace. Also worthy of close attention was overall leader Pau Navarro, who had lost 12 minutes yesterday and was heading into the distance with an 18-minute lead.
Kevin Benavides led the way in the first half of the stage, but his lead over his closest rivals was minimal. The top five managed to keep within 30 seconds of each other. After the 156th kilometer, Nicolas Cavigliasso, Paul Spierings, and Dania Akeel overtook Benavides. Cavigliasso took the lead, but Akeel, who had started fifth at this stage, continued to push hard and, after the 241st kilometer, managed to retake the lead, just 5 seconds ahead of the Argentine. Spierings was close, 23 seconds behind. However, after 42 kilometers, Cavigliasso regained the lead, finishing the day in first place.
For Sergei Remennik and Alexei Ignatov, the day on the track was as smooth and calm as possible, with no time lost or incidents that would have required the intervention or assistance for their teammates. The crew confidently maintained a steady pace. The fast roads allowed them to drive close to their maximum speed, but without undue risk. Attention to navigation and careful driving helped maintain their vehicle, which was especially important given the accumulated fatigue after a series of marathon stages.
For most of the selective section, Remennik and Ignatov stayed in the first twenty validating the waypoints with 18th, 15th, and 14th places, and ultimately finished the stage in 13th position in the Challenger category. This clean day served as a respite for the crew after the difficult previous stages and allowed them to maintain their strength and focus before the decisive climax of the two-week rally. The stage also proved important for the BBR Motorsport team mechanics. All the vehicles arrived at the bivouac without any new major breakdowns, meaning the assistance team will have less work to do overnight and more resources to prepare the cars for the final days.
Following the results of the previous stages, Pau Navarro remains in the overall lead, having slightly increased his advantage over second-placed Yasir Seaidan. Nicolas Cavigliasso is third among the podium contenders, his stage win allowed him to close the gap by just 1.5 minutes.
Sergey Remennik, driver, “There are fewer and fewer selective sections left to complete. What is today’s stage? The eleventh! Everything was great, the car was driving perfectly. We changed the shock absorbers, installed rebuilt ones. It’s such a pleasure to drive using good posts. The result is good; we weren’t overly optimistic, we overtook someone at the beginning, and then again in the middle. There was a lot of dust at the beginning, but it was good that the surfaces were very wide, there was plenty of room to get downwind and try to overtake. There was a kind of trial section where we bent the lever and the guard a bit. Well, it’s not crucial at all, the car just got a little wobbly. There are some issues with the clutch, but they’ll fix it now. And tomorrow we’re heading to Yanbu.”
Alexey Ignatov, co-driver, “I don't remember what day it is today, but that’s not the point. It wasn’t a difficult day, despite the stage overall distance of almost 900 kilometers. Most of the distance was made up of liaisons, which are actually quite tiring, these are long, monotonous rides.
The selective section was fast and high-speed, and we drove most of it at top speed, within our speed limit of 135 kph. There was one section, about ten kilometers long, where we drove along a rocky plateau, we had to steer and avoid rocks. The rest of the track included straight roads, so we drove in the hors-piste along the directions through salt marshes at top speed. The stage flew by, there were no incidents or problems, and the car is good.
In some places, there were paths that weren’t marked, and since there were so many crews, some were driving to the right, some to the left, the roads kept getting more and more numerous. I should have paid closer attention, but I wouldn’t say it was difficult. The day before yesterday, for example, there were some truly complex, clearly well-thought-out traps by the Organizers, but today I didn’t notice any.
All the crews reached the finish line without any breakdowns. Basically, there’s not much to report. Everything is fine.”
Stage 11 preliminary results in the Challenger category:
1. N. Cavigliasso and V. Pertegarini (Taurus) — 3h17.27;
2. P. Spierings and J. P. van der Stelt (Taurus) +0.29;
3. D. Akeel and S. Delaunay (Taurus) +1.03;
4. K. Benavides and L. Sisterna (Taurus) +1.18;
…
6. P. Navarro and J. Rosa (Taurus) +7.20;
7. L. Del Rio and B. Jacomy (Taurus) +7.21;
…
9. D. Zille and S. Cesana (Taurus) +11.07;
…
13. S. Remennik and A. Ignatov (Taurus) +16.01;
14. I. Casale and C. Sachs (Taurus) +16.20;
…
16. P. Goncalves and H. Magalhaes (Taurus) +17.30.
Tomorrow
Even if gaps have not already opened up between the front-runners, there are still opportunities to change the game on such a varied route. The fast tracks will give way to others that are much more winding and narrower. Drivers will also have to venture into riverbeds where anything is possible, while the final small dunes must not be underestimated. In short, a big win is still possible, provided you have all the right qualities.
Source: Bonnevie Baffeleuf Racing) Motorsport // Sergei Remennik official press release
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