Stage 6: Hail > Riyadh
Distance: 589 kilometers
Stage position: seventh
Overall position: fourth
The Dakar Rally 2026 reaches its halfway point after today’s sixth stage, which ended in the capital, Riyadh, and tomorrow the drivers will enjoy a well-deserved rest day. However, today they have faced a long timed special stage of almost 600 kilometers, in which Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz (Ford Raptor) have finished in seventh position after suffering some navigation problems in the first part.
With the clutch and oil pump problems of the last two days solved, today they reached the finish line 5 minutes and 23 seconds behind the day’s winner, Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia), and are now in fourth place in the overall standings, 11 minutes and 49 seconds behind the Qatari leader.
Carlos Sainz: “Stage with quite a few dunes and hard. We had two or three navigation points where we lost some time, but otherwise fine, happy to reach the rest day. After the problems of these two days, the car worked well, because we were saved by the bell after the oil pump broke; the team still can’t explain how we were able to get to the end without breaking everything. Now it’s on to the second week.
Sunday’s stage
Riyadh > Wadi Ad Dawasir
Link > 414 km – Special > 462 km
After Saturday’s well-deserved rest, there is usually a turning point at the moment of the restart. But the confidence gained in the first week should not intoxicate the riders, whether they are fighting for victory or for the honor of simply completing the course. The sandy and fairly fast tracks of the day are places provided with dense bushes, but do not present any major pitfalls, except for precipitation. As the total mileage approaches 900 kilometers, the ability to concentrate also plays a role, even in the liaison.