At the heart of Dakar 2026, the tenth stage was marked by a resounding achievement: Mathieu Serradori, driving his Century buggy, delivered an unprecedented victory for his South African manufacturer. This triumph is all the more delicious as it represents the first victory for a French driver in this edition of the rally-raid, despite a penalty that could have shaken him.
A course fraught with challenges
The rally-raid is a bit like a roller coaster: moments of glory, dizzying descents, and tight turns. Serradori, who took the lead of the stage from the 121st kilometer, managed to dominate the terrain and avoid the traps. His victory is even more impressive as it was achieved under the threat of a two-minute penalty for speeding. In the end, he crossed the finish line ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah’s Dacia, who managed to gain time on his competitors.
Al-Attiyah regains the lead
Nasser Al-Attiyah, like a phoenix rising from its ashes, reclaimed the top spot in the overall standings with a 12-minute lead over Henk Lategan (Toyota) and 12 minutes 50 over Nani Roma (Ford), who was the leader at the start of the stage. A great operation for the Qatari driver, who managed to keep his cool in this whirlwind of fierce competitors.
The other players of the stage
Sébastien Loeb also shone, finishing third with a delay of 9 minutes 20 seconds behind the winner. However, even though he conceded a few minutes to his teammate at Dacia, this performance allows him to climb to fourth place in the overall standings. On the other hand, Carlos Sainz (Ford), a former second in the overall standings, saw his hopes dashed with a 15-minute penalty for missing a waypoint, relegating him to more than 39 minutes behind the leader.
Meanwhile, Mattias Ekström, fifth in the overall standings, faced a setback. After a blazing start, he encountered problems around the 100th kilometer, finishing the stage with a delay of 30 minutes and thus losing a precious place in the hierarchy. And what about Cristina Gutiérrez? After rolling over at the start of the day, she showed a fighting spirit by reaching the finish line with a 42-minute delay behind the winner.
Provisional overall standings after stage 10 (Cars)
The results after this stage are more than interesting. Serradori made a mark, but the battle for first place remains intense. The coming days promise more exciting battles on the arid tracks of Dakar.
Sanders falls and loses control, Van Beveren victorious
On the motorcycle side, the stage was just as eventful. Daniel Sanders, the leader at the start of the stage, suffered a painful fall at the 138th kilometer, breaking his collarbone. Despite this injury, he was able to continue and crossed the finish line with a significant delay of 27 minutes 50 seconds behind the day’s winner, Adrien van Beveren. The Frenchman demonstrated great skill to outpace Luciano Benavides and Skyler Howes.
This loss of time costs Sanders dearly, as he plummets to fourth place in the overall standings with now 16 minutes 41 seconds of delay. While Benavides briefly tasted the lead of the overall standings just after the finish, Ricky Brabec could very well be the new leader due to the time he lost helping Sanders.
Provisional overall standings after stage 10 (Motorcycles)
Twists and turns are unfolding at a frantic pace in this edition of Dakar. Each stage is a new challenge where the courage and determination of the drivers are put to the test. With so many uncertainties at play, the final outcome remains to be written.
