Dakar Rally 2026 Stage 9 Navigation Chaos Shakes Bikes

Dakar, Sportrik Media - Daniel Sanders of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing capitalised on widespread navigation errors during Stage 9 of the Dakar Rally 2026 in Wadi ad-Dawasir, as championship contenders paid a heavy price for early roadbook mistakes in the Rally GP category.

The disruption began when overall leader Luciano Benavides, riding for KTM, was forced to open the stage. Together with Daniel Sanders, Benavides missed a crucial waypoint around kilometre 33, sending both riders into costly loops. This allowed Ricky Brabec of Honda HRC to close the gap, forming a three-rider leading group that was forced to navigate without reference, amplifying the time losses.

Further drama unfolded at kilometre 84 when Tosha Schareina of Monster Energy Honda attempted a different navigation line. The gamble cost both Schareina and Brabec more time, while Sanders emerged as the primary beneficiary thanks to the Dakar opening-rider time-bonus system. With fewer navigation errors in the critical middle section of the stage, Sanders moved into a commanding virtual lead over Benavides and Brabec.

The second half of Stage 9, however, belonged entirely to Schareina. The Spanish rider produced one of the fastest rhythms of the entire Dakar Rally, recovering his earlier losses and even inheriting the road-opening duty from Sanders. Timing data showed Schareina 4 minutes 37 seconds ahead of Skyler Howes and 4 minutes 48 seconds ahead of Sanders once bonuses were applied, underlining Honda’s late-stage performance surge.

In Rally 2, Michael Docherty confirmed his status as the category benchmark with his sixth stage victory of the 2026 edition. The South African controlled the pace against Neels Theric and Edgar Canet, the latter suffering a dramatic reversal after early dominance. Canet’s problems cost him nearly 28 minutes, a devastating blow in the tightly contested Rally 2 title fight.

One of the standout stories of the day came from Mongolian rookie Khaliunbold Erdenebileg, who climbed to second place in Rally 2 and into the overall top ten of the motorcycle category. Competing directly against factory Rally GP riders, Erdenebileg’s performance marked a historic milestone for Mongolia in the world’s most demanding cross-country rally.

As the Dakar heads into the decisive marathon stage, the motorcycle classification has been dramatically reshaped. Sanders retains the virtual overall lead, but his margin over Brabec is now just over five minutes, while Benavides has slipped to third, more than six minutes adrift. The navigation chaos of Stage 9 has forced KTM and Honda HRC into a tactical reset, turning the remainder of Dakar Rally 2026 into a high-stakes battle of strategic precision and mechanical endurance, followed closely by Sportrik at https://sportrik.com/dakar.