The competitors do not approach the marathon-refuge stages like the others and the one that set out this morning from Wadi ad Dawasir included navigational difficulties that soon changed the face of the special for the main protagonists over the last days. Benavides’ wonderful adventure is perhaps not over but his stay at the top of the overall rankings has been interrupted at the very least. The major blow today was struck by Tosha Schareina, who was the smartest at the start of the special in choosing the right canyon at a point where his rivals selected the wrong option, and was especially the quickest at the very end of the stage, which he completed with the best time: 6’24’’ quicker than Daniel Sanders, and 6’22’’ in front of his Honda team-mate Ricky Brabec.
The Spanish rider, who is still fourth in the overall rankings but with a gap reduced to 15 minutes form the top, can continue to kick himself over the ten-minute penalty he received on the first marathon stage, without which he would be locked in the duel with Daniel Sanders that everyone was expecting. The defending champion is the main beneficiary of the day, as the confusion shared with his teammate Luciano Benavides meant he loses a little less time.
The Australian KTM rider has, as a result, regained the lead in the overall rankings, where he now has a 6'24’’ advantage over his American rival Ricky Brabec. However, this margin is not particularly comfortable ahead of the second leg of the marathon-refuge stage, on which the Honda rider will start three minutes behind him and where the route including challenging dunes may hold some surprises in store.
Source: Dakar 2026 © A.S.O
Source: © A.S.O./F.Godden/DPPI
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