Benjamin Melot: "Job done"

Dakar 2026 | Stage 13 | YANBU > YANBU
January 17 ^th 2026 - 12:17 [GMT + 3]

Benjamin Melot had been chasing victory in Original by Motul for seven editions. After four podium finishes, half of them in the runner-up's spot, the Frenchman has finally got his hands on the trophy for riders without service crews. Josep Pedró emerged as his arch-rival, but Cyril Despres's former mechanic got his day in the sun.

"Last year I really made an impression and I took a fair bit of punishment myself. But I worked incredibly hard to come back this year in better shape, with the mindset of leaving it all out there until the very end. I've had an up-and-down Dakar, but I managed to make the difference in a couple of stages. It's been no walk in the park, though. I've really had to dig deep. I'm at home in the dunes, but yesterday, I don't know why, I managed to put together a great day in the rocks and pull out a nine-minute gap in a special that didn't suit me. Emanuel Gyenes crashed and Josep Pedró got himself into the mix. He didn't make life easy for me and I was pretty stressed this morning. I've been chasing this for years and now, there it is, job done."