Schareina and Guthrie win in AlUla
Dakar 2026 |
Stage 3 |
ALULA
> ALULA
January 6
th
2026
- 17:07
[GMT + 3]
Schareina throws down the gauntlet
- So far, the orange clan had dominated the field, with Edgar Canet and Daniel Sanders sharing success on three specials between them. However, the battle has now taken a different turn, with a first victory for Monster Energy Honda HRC, specifically by Tosha Schareina, who won today's stage in AlUla, where he enjoyed his first stage win in 2024. The Spaniard, who finished runner-up to Sanders last year and on the outcome of the W2RC season, is positioning himself for the big marathon stage that awaits the favourites tomorrow. He has taken his place on the provisional overall podium, 1'13’’ behind his designated rival Daniel Sanders.
- The Australian was obliged to open the way for much of the 421 km against the clock on the programme. The only other rider to join him on the tracks was Ricky Brabec, who is proving to be another man in form at the start of this Dakar. Brabec has moved into second place in the general rankings, 1'07’’ behind Sanders, confirming the strength of the Honda team.
- In the KTM team, Edgar Canet was slightly behind the pace compared to the first three days and dropped one place down the rankings to fourth, 8’46’’ behind the leader.
- The situation in the Rally 2 category has changed dramatically since the start in Yanbu. After Neels Theric's electrical problems, which caused him to lose 2 hours and 50 minutes on the prologue, and Harith Noah's crash, it is now Tobias Ebster who has lost his chance to win the title for which he was one of the favourites (after 9th overall and 2nd in the R2 class in 2025). Due to a hand injury following a crash, the Austrian rider is expected to withdraw: although the rules allow him to resume racing, he will no longer be able to make his riding count in the battle between Mike Docherty, today's winner, and Martim Ventura, who is 3'32’’ behind the South African.
ALULA RHYMES WITH AMERICA
- Following Seth Quintero’s success on stage 2 of the Dakar yesterday, another American driver, Mitch Guthrie, tasted victory on completion of the 421 kilometres on the day’s special, which also finished in AlUla. The prodigy, who is the son of a legend of US motorsport, had already won 10 specials in the Challenger class on his first four participations on the Dakar. His switch to the Ultimate class already proved conclusive in 2025 with an overall fifth-placed finish, but Mitch Guthrie has reached a new level today. With his first stage success among the elite on a route where many of his rivals were unable to avoid punctures, Guthrie Junior also took command of the general rankings.
- The rest of the day’s Top 5 is made up of Martin Prokop (2nd), who has obtained his best result on his 11th participation, followed by Guy Botterill (3rd), Lucas Moraes (4th) and Cristina Gutierrez (5’57’’ behind). However, the summit of the general rankings is dominated by one sole brand: five Ford Raptors occupy the first five places, with Guthrie followed by Martin Prokop (26’’ behind), Mattias Ekstrom (1’08’’ behind), Carlos Sainz (3’34’’ behind) and Nani Roma (4’02’’ behind).
- The American constructor is ideally placed, even if the gaps are still small. The Top 10 is today completed by Nasser Al Attiyah, who was toppled from the race lead but is only 11’39’’ from its summit. His team-mate Sébastien Loeb finds himself two rungs lower, trailing by 16’50’’.
