Barcelona rider Laia Sanz and Maurizio Gerini complete the first week of the Dakar Rally in 18th place overall, just 25 minutes off the top 15.
The Spanish team gets through Stage 6 — the longest of this year’s edition (915 km) — in 26th position.
While driver and co-driver will enjoy a quiet day in Riyadh, the mechanics and engineers will thoroughly inspect the EBRO s800 XRR ahead of the race resuming on Sunday.
Laia Sanz: “We’ve had a positive first half, with three or four very good stages. We’re starting to get to know the car a bit better and, in the second half of the rally, we’ll try to push a little more.”
Laia Sanz and Maurizio Gerini are already in Riyadh, where they will enjoy a well-earned rest day this Saturday. The EBRO Audax Motorsport team has wrapped up the first week of the Dakar Rally by once again staying among the top 20 in the overall car standings, sitting in a strong 18th position, 25 minutes from the top 15 — a result that allows them to approach the second part of the race with full confidence.
Before that, the Spanish-Italian duo had to overcome an awkward Stage 6 with their EBRO s800 XRR, taking competitors from the mountainous Ha’il to the Saudi capital over a 915 km route, of which 326 km were timed. The longest day of the event was run entirely on sand, combining dunes of all kinds (some with sharp edges), camel grass, and fast track sections. In these conditions, Sanz and Gerini set the 26th fastest time, 21:36 behind the stage winner, after four hours at the wheel.
“It wasn’t our best day of this Dakar. Honestly, we didn’t feel very comfortable in the camel grass, so we decided not to take many risks because it was easy to make mistakes. We’re happy to have brought the car back in one piece to the rest day, and I think in the second week there will be days to push and to go faster,” says the multiple world champion.
At the midpoint of the rally, Laia Sanz reflects on their performance so far: “We’ve had a positive first half of the Dakar, with three or four very good stages. We’re starting to get to know the car a bit better and, looking at the second half of the race, we hope to keep going like this, although I think we need to try to push a little more. Now it’s about getting some rest, checking that everything is fine, and then continuing to fight,” she concludes.
This Saturday’s competitive breather will allow the crew, the vehicle and the mechanics to recharge, fine-tune everything, and plan the strategy for the decisive second week of the 2026 Dakar Rally. There are still 4,334 km to go, of which 2,536 km will be against the clock, including another marathon stage before heading back toward Yanbu.
Source: EBRO Audax MotorSport
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