Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders has finished as runner-up on stage nine of the 2026 Dakar Rally, reclaiming the lead in the overall standings. Luciano Benavides placed ninth after opening the first 100 kilometers of the special, while a technical issue halted Edgar Canet’s momentum, dropping him to 28th at the finish.
Stage nine saw riders leave Wadi Ad-Dawasir and head toward the marathon refuge on a demanding sand-heavy route. The stage featured a long selective section combining fast off-piste tracks, technical canyon crossings, and extended dune sectors late in the day, where navigation, endurance, and mechanical sympathy proved critical.
As the second rider into the stage, Sanders was focused on catching teammate Benavides ahead. However, with both KTM riders falling foul of a difficult note in the roadbook around kilometer 34, they immediately lost time to the chasing pack. Riding in a group from there to the finish, Daniel was able to adjust his pace to the conditions and avoid any damage to his KTM 450 RALLY. Completing the special in second place and earning close to five minutes in bonus time, Sanders now leads the rally by six minutes and 24 seconds.
Daniel Sanders: “It wasn’t too bad of a stage for me today, but obviously, it’s frustrating to lose so much time early on. At the start I checked the roadbook and could see it was going to be chaotic with lots of rhythm changes in a new area. There was one tricky note that we missed, and when Luciano got lost, I ended up riding in the dust, which cost us time. When Ricky arrived, we understood the mistake, but by then a lot of time was already gone. After that, it was about managing the stage and thinking ahead to tomorrow with more dunes coming. The rest of the stage was quite straightforward, with a fast finish and rough dunes. I took it easy in the rocks to avoid any damage, and overall, I’m happy to be here and ready to push hard again tomorrow.”
First into the stage and first to come across the tricky roadbook note, Benavides lost around nine minutes to the stage leader very early on. Fighting back, the Argentine clawed back several minutes and went from 35th place at kilometer 84 to ninth at the finish. Although the result dropped him from first to third in the overall rankings, Luciano will enjoy a favorable starting position for Wednesday’s stage 10.
Luciano Benavides: “Not the best day for me today. There was a tricky note in the roadbook, and I was the first one there. I made a mistake, and then Daniel made the same mistake. I don’t think anyone did it well. When we finally corrected the error, I had already lost around nine minutes. From that point on, it was just about surviving to the finish. We were riding in a group of four riders, which wasn’t easy, but starting further back should actually be good for tomorrow. The bike is fine. There’s a small cut in the rear tire, but nothing serious, so everything is okay.”
Canet endured another day of highs and lows on stage nine. Seventh into the special, the Spaniard made his intentions clear by topping the time sheets for the first 158 kilometers. A technical issue unfortunately then cost him a considerable amount of time, dropping him down the order. Completing the stage in 28th, Edgar now looks ahead to tomorrow’s second half of the marathon stage, where he will aim to chase down his rivals over the dunes. The second half of the marathon stage will see riders leave the temporary bivouac and head to Bisha. The 371-kilometer timed special will initially feature an extensive area of soft dunes, before giving way to faster sand tracks later on. A short 47-kilometer liaison will then lead them back to the bivouac and their teams.
Edgar Canet: “Yeah, it was a crazy stage for me. In the beginning, I felt really, really good. I was pushing with a strong rhythm and good navigation. At one point, I saw a lot of riders as they had gotten lost, but I found the way perfectly, so I was able to push on. After that, I caught up to the leading riders and tried to pass. They didn’t see me coming from behind though, so I had to move slightly off the line. I clipped a big rock but I kept going. I didn’t crash or anything and just continued pushing. I had a really good rhythm today, a really good feeling on the bike, and everything was working well. Just before refuelling though I had a small problem with the bike and this cost me some time, but I feel good and I’m happy to have made it here at the finish.”
The second half of the marathon stage will see riders leave the temporary bivouac and head to Bisha. The 371-kilometer timed special will initially feature an extensive area of soft dunes, before giving way to faster sand tracks later on. A short 47-kilometer liaison will then lead them back to the bivouac and their teams.
Provisional Results – 2026 Dakar Rally, Stage 9
1. Tosha Schareina (ESP), Honda, 3:45:42
2. Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 3:50:17 +4:35
3. Michael Docherty (RSA), KTM, 3:50:32 +4:50
4. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 3:52:04 +6:22
5. Skyler Howes (USA), Honda, 3:53:36 +7:54
Other KTM
9. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:57:32 +11:50
28. Edgar Canet (ESP), KTM, 4:24:20 +38:38
Provisional Standings – 2026 Dakar Rally (after 9 of 13 stages)
1. Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 37:09:17
2. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 37:15:41 +6:24
3. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 37:16:22 +7:05
4. Tosha Schareina (ESP), Honda, 37:24:45 +15:28
5. Skyler Howes (USA), Honda, 37:53:32 +44:15
Other KTM
10. Toni Mulec (SLO), KTM, 39:40:44 +2:31:27
42. Edgar Canet (ESP), KTM, 48:50:15 +11:40:58