Thanks for checking out ADVMoto’s stage by stage quick summaries of the 2026 Dakar Bikes categories! We want this to be a handy place to check results and watch recap videos. All videos and images are sourced from Honda Racing HRC media and YouTube channel. (@HondaRacingHRC) unless otherwise noted. If you have any information to add or see errors, please let us know!
• Dakar 2026 – Stage 2 Motorcycles Report
> All Riders Summary – Stage 2
On the road from Yanbu to AlUla, Stage 2 reshaped the front of the bike race as Daniel “Chucky” Sanders powered to the special‑stage win and took over the overall lead for Red Bull KTM. Edgar Canet limited the damage with second on the day despite road‑opening duties, while Ricky Brabec, Skyler Howes and Tosha Schareina delivered a wall of red for Honda just behind, confirming that the factory fight is firmly between KTM, Honda and Hero.
Further down the top ten, Ross Branch rebounded from his Stage 1 penalty with a fast and tidy ride that moved him back toward overall contention, and Rally2 contender Michael Docherty again inserted himself among the factory bikes with another top‑ten stage. Riders like Luciano Benavides, Adrien Van Beveren and a tightly packed second wave of Rally2 and privateer entries used Stage 2 to consolidate rather than gamble, knowing that the rockier AlUla terrain can end a rally in one mistake and that the real selection will come as the kilometres and fatigue stack up over the coming days.
> USA Riders Summary – Stage 2
Stage 2 from Yanbu to AlUla reinforced the strength of the U.S. attack at the front, as Ricky Brabec finished third on the special and tightened his grip on a front‑running overall position. Skyler Howes backed that up with fourth on the day, keeping both factory Hondas well inside the top ten on combined time as the rally moved inland.
Behind them, Nathan Rafferty continued to chip away at the desert on his BAS World KTM, logging another solid finish in the mid‑to‑rear pack while adapting to the rockier AlUla terrain and the mental grind of long liaisons. His approach remains classic privateer Dakar: ride within his limits, manage the bike, and let consistency and reliability carry him up the order as other riders falter later in the rally.
Daniel “Chucky” Sanders struck back on the run from Yanbu to AlUla, winning Stage 2 for Red Bull KTM and seizing the overall lead as Edgar Canet, Ricky Brabec and Honda’s pack kept the gaps within a few minutes. The results confirmed that the early days of Dakar 2026 would be a three‑way fight between KTM, Honda and Hero rather than a runaway for any one factory.
> Dakar 2026 Stage 2 Bike Results – Yanbu > AlUla (January 4, 2026)
Stage 2 pushed the bikes inland from the Red Sea coast into rockier, more technical terrain around AlUla, blending stone fields, camel tracks and small dune belts. With Canet opening the road after his Stage 1 win, navigation, starting position and bonus time became as crucial as outright speed, and any mistake risked both time losses and early damage to the bike.
> Overall Top 10 Bikes – Stage 2
| Pos | Rider | Nation | Team/Bike | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Sanders | AUS | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | 4h13m37s | — | |
| 2 | Edgar Canet | ESP | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | 4h15m12s | +1m35s | |
| 3 | Ricky Brabec | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | 4h15m23s | +1m46s | |
| 4 | Skyler Howes | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | 4h16m52s | +3m15s | |
| 5 | Tosha Schareina | ESP | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | 4h17m11s | +3m34s | n/a |
| 6 | Mario Ventura | POR | Honda CRF 450 | 4h17m30s | +3m53s | n/a |
| 7 | Ross Branch | BWA | Hero MotoSports Team Rally (Hero) | 4h17m33s | +3m56s | |
| 8 | Michael Docherty | RSA | KTM Rally Replica (Rally2) | 4h19m25s | +5m48s | |
| 9 | Luciano Benavides | ARG | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | 4h20m48s | +7m11s | |
| 10 | Adrien Van Beveren | FRA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | 4h22m35s | +8m58s |
> Overall Motorcycle Standings After Stage 2 (Top 10)
Sanders’ Stage 2 win moved him into the overall lead, with Canet, Brabec and Schareina all within just a handful of minutes and Ross Branch recovering from his opening‑day penalty to climb back toward contention. The gaps remain tight enough that one mistake on the way into and around AlUla could still reshuffle the entire top ten, especially as navigation and fatigue start to bite. By the end of Stage 2, Sanders had turned early pressure into control, but the time gaps behind him were still small enough that any crash, penalty or big navigation error on the next AlUla loop could rewrite the story at the front.
| Pos | Rider | Nation | Team/Bike | Gap to Leader (approx.) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Sanders | AUS | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | — | |
| 2 | Edgar Canet | ESP | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | ~+1–2m | |
| 3 | Ricky Brabec | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | +2m18s | |
| 4 | Tosha Schareina | ESP | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | +4m41s | n/a |
| 5 | Ross Branch | BWA | Hero MotoSports Team Rally (Hero) | +7m46s | |
| 6 | Skyler Howes | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | ~+11–13m | |
| 7 | Luciano Benavides | ARG | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | ~+13–15m | |
| 8 | Adrien Van Beveren | FRA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | +14m09s | |
| 9 | Nacho Cornejo | CHI | Hero MotoSports Team Rally (Hero) | ~+18–20m | |
| 10 | Michael Docherty | RSA | KTM Rally Replica (Rally2) | inside top‑15 (Rally2 leader window) |
• Dakar 2026 – Stage 1 Motorcycles Report
> All Riders Summary – Stage 1
Stage 1 around Yanbu set the tone for Dakar 2026 with a blend of speed and precision, as Edgar Canet stunned the established order by converting his prologue form into a full special-stage win for Red Bull KTM. Daniel Sanders shadowed his young teammate to lock out a KTM one‑two, while Honda and Hero quickly responded with Ricky Brabec, Tosha Schareina, Nacho Cornejo and Ross Branch all planting their factory colors near the front.
The opening day also underlined just how deep the field is this year, with Rally2 standout Michael Docherty sneaking into the top ten outright and riders such as Luciano Benavides, Adrien Van Beveren and other satellite entries hovering close enough to pounce on any early mistakes. Penalties and small errors – most notably Branch’s speeding infraction – reminded everyone that discipline matters as much as raw pace, but with the entire top ten still covered by only a few minutes, Stage 1 felt more like a high‑speed prologue to a long and increasingly technical Saudi campaign.
> USA Riders Summary – Stage 1
American riders opened Dakar 2026 strongly on Stage 1, with Ricky Brabec leading the charge in third on the day and settling into an excellent early overall position. Skyler Howes also cracked the top ten, giving the United States two factory Hondas inside the sharp end of the classification from the very first full stage.
Further back, Utah-based privateer Nathan Rafferty began his second Dakar with a steady, survival‑focused ride on his BAS World KTM, coming home well down the order on corrected time but keeping his bike and body in one piece on a fast, rocky opener. Together with other U.S. privateers, Rafferty’s goal on day one was more about avoiding big mistakes than chasing stage times, leaving the American camp with both front‑running factory hopes and a solid privateer presence as the rally heads inland.
Edgar Canet backed up his prologue win with a commanding Stage 1 victory around Yanbu, leading a Red Bull KTM one‑two ahead of Daniel Sanders while Honda and Hero filled out a tightly packed top ten that sets up a fierce bikes race for Dakar 2026. The young Spaniard’s pace and composure immediately marked him as more than just a prologue specialist in his first full Dakar campaign.
> Dakar 2026 Stage 1 Bike Results – Yanbu Loop (January 3, 2026)
Stage 1’s loop out of Yanbu mixed jagged rock gardens, narrow passes and faster sandy sections near the finish, forcing riders to balance aggression with respect for the terrain on the very first full day. With bonuses not yet decisive, raw pace and avoiding mistakes defined the order more than big navigation gambles.
Overall Stage Top 10 Bikes – Stage 1
| Pos | Rider | Nation | Team/Bike | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edgar Canet | ESP | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | 3h16m11s | — | |
| 2 | Daniel Sanders | AUS | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | 3h17m13s | +1m02s | |
| 3 | Ricky Brabec | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | 3h17m43s | +1m32s | |
| 4 | Tosha Schareina | ESP | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | 3h18m00s | +1m49s | n/a |
| 5 | Luciano Benavides | ARG | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | 3h19m58s | +3m47s | |
| 6 | Nacho Cornejo | CHI | Hero MotoSports Team Rally (Hero) | 3h19m59s | +3m48s | |
| 7 | Ross Branch | BWA | Hero MotoSports Team Rally (Hero) | 3h20m50s* | +4m39s | |
| 8 | Adrien Van Beveren | FRA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | 3h22m03s | +5m52s | |
| 9 | Michael Docherty | RSA | KTM Rally Replica (Rally2) | 3h25m09s | +8m58s | |
| 10 | Skyler Howes | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | 3h26m06s | +9m55s |
*Branch was on pace for the win before a six‑minute speeding penalty dropped him to seventh on corrected time.
> Overall Motorcycle Standings After Stage 1 (Top 10)
The early general classification mirrors the Stage 1 special, with Canet leading Sanders and Brabec while small gaps across the top ten suggest a tightly contested first week ahead.
| Pos | Rider | Nation | Team/Bike | Gap to Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edgar Canet | ESP | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | — | |
| 2 | Daniel Sanders | AUS | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | +1m02s | |
| 3 | Ricky Brabec | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | +1m32s | |
| 4 | Tosha Schareina | ESP | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | +1m49s | n/a |
| 5 | Luciano Benavides | ARG | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM) | +3m47s | |
| 6 | Nacho Cornejo | CHI | Hero MotoSports Team Rally (Hero) | +3m48s | |
| 7 | Ross Branch | BWA | Hero MotoSports Team Rally (Hero) | +10m39s* | |
| 8 | Adrien Van Beveren | FRA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | +5m52s | |
| 9 | Michael Docherty | RSA | KTM Rally Replica (Rally2) | +8m58s | |
| 10 | Skyler Howes | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC (Honda) | +9m55s |
• 2026 Dakar Route Map Video from @OfficialDakar
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