Dacia Takes Early Lead in Dakar Rally, Tops Standings Before Rest Day

Dacia started the 48th Dakar Rally on a high note, with Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Fabian Lurquin claiming a six-minute lead after the first six stages of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.

The Dacia Sandrider has made a strong return to the Dakar Rally, following a successful debut last year that included a stage win and two overall victories. This year, Dacia entered Saudi Arabia with a four-car lineup, aiming to tackle one of the world’s toughest rally-raid terrains.

Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah, a three-time W2RC champion and five-time Dakar winner, along with Belgian navigator Fabian Lurquin, leads the field with a 6-minute 10-second advantage. The duo secured one stage win during the opening round and heads into the rest day in Riyadh brimming with confidence for the second week of competition.

Al-Attiyah, 55, praised the Sandrider for its performance: “The car worked very well, and I am happy with the time we managed. It’s fantastic to have a lead, and we need to maintain this strategy for the second week.” Despite a few punctures, the team maintained their position at the top.

The lead was gained after South African driver Henk Lategan, in a Toyota Hilux GR, lost approximately nine minutes on stage six. Spain’s Joan Roma and Alex Haro in a Ford Raptor rounded out the top three. Four-time Dakar champion Carlos Sainz finished fourth, while Joao Ferreira and co-driver Filipe Palmeiro were overtaken by Al-Attiyah early in the stage.

Other Dacia competitors also performed strongly, with Sebastien Loeb and Edouard Boulanger in sixth place, Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon in tenth, and Spanish duo Cristina Gutierrez and Pablo Moreno in 13th. With the rest day underway, all eyes are on the Dacia Sandrider as it prepares for the grueling second week of the rally.