Following today’s opening stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally, Robbie Wallace elevated himself up to 42nd place overall to occupy 28th in class after a tricky day on the 321-mile loop from Yanbu and then back to the Red Sea port which comprised over four hours of competitive riding.
Aboard the 450cc KTM, the Northallerton, North Yorkshire rider improved on his start position of 50 which he set during yesterday’s Prologue in the Saudi Arabian desert as he continues his second attempt at the world’s toughest rally.
Apart from a small slip off in the dunes, the 28-year-old again reported no problems as part of the XRaids Experience team and was happy to get the first competitive stage under his belt going into tomorrow’s second stage which takes him from Yanbu, north and inland to Alula covering over 500km, most of which is competitive.
Here, the landscape quickly becomes mountainous meaning there will be numerous changes of pace over the first 200km with some very fast tracks as well as winding rocky sections. As on the opening stage, a pit stop around halfway will be useful for some to fit brand new tyres to reach the finish line in the hilly terrain where it is important to increase the average speed.
Robbie Wallace: “That’s the first big stage out of the way which sees me in 42nd overall and 28th in Class at tonight’s rest halt. I got off to a strong start along a really fast and rocky technical stage which had a bit of everything, so was pleased to get to the finish. It’s easy to forget how long these stages are and how much time you spend on the bike as today I covered over 300 miles. I found a good rhythm, but the pace was still lightning fast, and apart from a small fall in the dunes, we had no problems. Tomorrow will be another tough one, so I just need to stick at it and get through the day. This game isn’t for the faint-hearted!”
Canet Continues To Impress
Young Spaniard Edgar Canet, who claimed the Rally2 title on last year’s Dakar Rally, followed up his Prologue win with another barnstorming performance in his debut at the top level, as the KTM rider bagged the SS1 victory to tighten his grip on the overall lead.
Ross Branch was the fastest competitor today, but a six-minute penalty for speeding cost him victory. The stage podium is a carbon copy of yesterday’s Prologue which saw Canet defeat the last two winners of the Dakar, putting over a minute into his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Daniel Sanders and a further 30 seconds into their Monster Energy Honda HRC rival Ricky Brabec.
Rally2 saw the prolific Michael Docherty claim his eleventh win in the class on his KTM, beating rookie Martim Ventura on his Honda, who had spent most of the stage in the lead but came up short in the final dash to the line, by one and half minutes.
Results after SS1 – Yanbu – Yanbu
Overall Position: 42nd (out of 115)
Rally2 Position: 28th (out of 100)
British Rider: No. 1 (out of 5)
Overall Time: 04h 08′ 08”
Time Behind Leader: 00h 51’ 57”
Distance Covered: 612 km
Distance To Go: 7284 km
SAND SNIPPETS
- Robbie’s 42nd overall sees him as top British rider after the opening stage, ahead of TT winner James Hillier (Kove) in 59th overall. Other British riders are Neil Hawker (Honda) in 66th with brothers Craig and Carl Searles (Husqvarna) in 110th and 111th respectively out of the 115 competitors.
- TNT Sports is continuing to show nightly coverage in the UK with another one-hour highlights package scheduled for this evening at 21.00.
More updates as the event progresses and via the links below.
https://www.dakar.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dakar
https://x.com/dakar
https://www.dailymotion.com/Dakar
https://www.instagram.com/dakarrally
https://www.tiktok.com/@dakar
Notes to Editors.
The 48th edition of the Dakar Rally will see around 780 competitors from all over the world, including 115 in the motorcycle category, converge on Yanbu on the shores of the Red Sea in western Saudi Arabia. 2026 sees a significantly reworked route offering competitors a fresh challenge across Saudi Arabia’s vast deserts. The 2026 Dakar Rally will feature 13 full stages, plus the traditional Prologue to commence proceedings on January 3 that will help determine the starting order for the first full day of action. The rally will be split by a rest day in the capital Riyadh on Saturday 10 January, allowing competitors some vital recovery time before the decisive second week. Bike competitors will cover 7,896 kilometres over two weeks, including 4,826km in the form of competitive special stages, with the remainder made up of transport sections. With nearly 5,000km of timed running, the 2026 edition will be one of the longest Dakars in terms of competitive distance, making it potentially one of the toughest events in the rally’s recent history. The finish is scheduled for Saturday 17 January 2026 with the final stage around Yanbu.
ENDS
