SS9 Wadi Ad-Dawasir to Bivouac Refuge – 123km Liaison, 418km Stage
North Yorkshire enduro racer Robbie Wallace successfully completed stage nine of the 2026 Dakar Rally to reach the midpoint of the event’s second two-day marathon stages in 43rd place overall whilst maintaining his 32nd place in the Rally 2 class.
Still contending with a back injury sustained in a crash on Sunday, the 28-year-old electrical engineer from Northallerton managed to end today’s 336-mile (541km) leg in 53rd place and 42nd in the Rally 2 class on the stage which started in Wadi Ad-Dawasir and ends tomorrow night in Bisha, although he dropped a place overall to the hard-charging Spaniard Edgar Canet.
In between, Robbie is bedding down for another night under the stars with minimal facilities in his one-man tent and basic ration pack before taking to the remainder of the stage tomorrow aboard his X-Raids supported 450cc KTM for another 260-mile stage (418km) as the event heads into its eleventh day of competition.
With phone coverage at a minimum whilst in the remote Saudi Arabian desert, keep an eye on social media for any updates from Robbie this evening which may appear later.
Dakar Rally 2026
Schareina Takes Advantage Of Navigational Strife
The latest two-day marathon stage which started in Wadi Ad-Dawasir today included navigational difficulties which has changed the face of the leaderboard.
Luciano Benavides’ wonderful adventure is not over but his stay at the top of the overall rankings has been halted at the very least. The major blow today was struck by Tosha Schareina who chose the correct direction at a point where his rivals selected the wrong option.
As a result, the Monster Energy Honda HRC rider set fastest time some 6’ 24’’ quicker than Daniel Sanders on the Red Bull Factory Racing KTM, and 6’ 22’’ in front of Honda’s Ricky Brabec.
The Spanish rider, who is still fourth in the overall rankings but with a gap reduced to 15 minutes behind the leader, is still rueing the ten-minute penalty he received on the first marathon stage, without which he would be locked in the duel with Sanders that everyone was expecting.
The defending champion is the main beneficiary of the day, and has regained the lead in the overall rankings, where he now has a 6′ 24’’ advantage over his American rival Ricky Brabec.
However, this margin is not particularly comfortable ahead of the second leg of the marathon-refuge stage, on which the Honda rider will start three minutes behind him and where the route including challenging dunes may hold some surprises in store.
In Rally 2, South Africa’s Michael Docherty (BAS World KTM Team) took the stage win but it’s American Preston Campbell (Monster Energy Honda HRC) who still leads the way with a 17’ 28” advantage over Slovenian Toni Mulec (BAS World KTM Team).
Results after SS9 – Wadi Ad-Dawasir – Bivouac Refuge
Overall Position: 43rd (out of 94 remaining)
Rally 2 Position: 32nd (out of 85 remaining)
British Rider: No. 1 (out of 4 remaining)
Overall Time: 49h 07′ 25”
Time Behind Leader: 11h 58’08”
Distance Covered: 5868 km
Distance To Go: 2159 km.
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
