Only 138 kilometres — the distance of the last stage — separate the Catalan driver from successfully completing his participation in the toughest event in motorsport.
This Friday, the BE Racing team member finished the penultimate special stage in 21st position, on a day marked by overheating problems with the transmission belt.
“We’re very happy to be here, both Adrià and I. I think we’ve had a good Dakar — we pushed where we could push and we looked after things when it was necessary. Now we just need to seal it tomorrow.”
Joan Font has his long-awaited goal almost within reach: making it to the final finish line of Dakar 2026. Only one stage remains — the thirteenth and final — before he can become a finisher for the sixth time in the world’s toughest motorsport event (seventh if the 2025 edition is counted, which he completed although outside the official classification).
This Friday, the caravan reached Yanbu, the setting for the competition’s conclusion. Barring a major setback, Dakar Rally 2026 will see Joan Font and Adrià Guillem on the prestigious finishing podium tomorrow. To get this far, driver and co-driver had to overcome today a demanding penultimate stage, more complex than planned, with a route featuring areas of tall dunes and plenty of rocks — an element that has played a leading role throughout the rally.
“Penultimate stages must always be approached intelligently, because a mistake can end up costing you a very unpleasant surprise. That’s why we chose to manage the race and look after the machinery — something that was essential to be able to reach tomorrow’s finish without problems,” explained the driver from Vic after finishing the special stage in 21st place in the Challenger category. Even so, there are unforeseen issues that give no warning, as happened today with the transmission belt: “It overheated in the dunes and we got a bit of a scare. In the end, we decided to stop for a while and wait for it to cool down.”
Another incentive on the final day of racing will be to confirm whether Joan Font can finish the rally among the top 25 — he is currently 24th — in the highly demanding Challenger category. Despite having one of the less developed prototypes in his class, the Catalan driver has managed to extract the most from his vehicle and remain competitive. Achieving such a result would be an added reward for the effort made over these two weeks. “We’re very happy to be here, both Adrià and I. I think we’ve had a good Dakar: we pushed where we could push and we looked after things when it was necessary. Now we just need to finish it off tomorrow,” he said.
The final stage of the Dakar will be a loop of just 138 kilometres around Yanbu, of which 105 will be timed. After the special stage, the drivers who have completed the rally will be able to certify their achievement with the valuable finisher medal and the traditional photo on the finishing podium.
Source: Joan Font Press
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