Jordi Juvanteny, José Luis Criado, and Xavi Ribas earn 10 points for driving in Sport Mode and 10 more for completing the stage.
With a total of 122 points, the MAN 6x6 team extends its lead over the second-placed team in the overall standings to seven points.
Juvanteny: “It was a fast and technical stage. We drove at a very high pace and were able to take full advantage of the truck's potential.”
The KH-7 ECOVERGY Team has made a statement at the restart of the 2026 Dakar Rally. After the rest day, the Spanish crew dominated the seventh stage between Riyadh and Wadi ad Dawasir with a huge lead over their rivals in the longest special stage of the race (120 timed kilometers).
Jordi Juvanteny, José Luis Criado, and Xavi Ribas completed the course in just 1 hour, 36 minutes, and 43 seconds, finishing 45 minutes and 41 seconds faster than the second-place finisher of the day. This superiority allowed them to smash the organization's reference time (2h 11') and earn a full 10 points for driving in Sport Mode and 10 for completing the route.
Added to this result are 2 points from Fan Boost, the voting system that rewards fan support on social media. With a total of 122 points, the Spanish team extends its lead to 7 points over its closest rival in the Mission 1000 overall standings.
"It was a fast and technical stage. We drove at a very high pace and were able to take advantage of the truck's full potential. The navigation wasn't difficult and we were very focused. We are very happy with the result," said driver Jordi Juvanteny.
On the technical side, the MAN 6x6 and its pioneering mixed-fuel system once again delivered flawless performance. The combination of hydrogen and electricity performed as expected throughout the day, further reinforcing the reliability of the project in real racing conditions.
“The hybrid system has worked within the expected parameters at all times. Completing the longest special stage with this performance gives us a dose of optimism to face the second week of the race with confidence,” said Xavi Ribas, responsible for the technical development of the project, as well as supporting José Luis Criado in navigation tasks as the third crew member in the cabin.
Following this successful result, the KH-7 ECOVERGY Team is preparing for the eighth stage. It will be a loop starting and ending in Wadi ad Dawasir, covering a total of 334 kilometers, 100 of which will be timed, where the team will seek to further consolidate its privileged position in the category.
Source: KH-7 ECOVERGY Team
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