Dakar Rally 2026 is playing havoc with tyres with rocks a daily feature, Enduro21 takes a closer look at the problem riders are facing in the long, Saudi special tests.

The rocks in the Saudi desert seem to be playing a bigger role than normal at this year’s Dakar. Nowhere more so than on the marathon stages where tyre and mousse preservation is vital to make it to the bivouac and back to service crews.

Already by the refuelling point on stage four, riders were concerned about the state of their rear tyres: “There were a lot of rocks and when we got to the refuel everyone had cuts in their tyres and destroyed wheels.” Says Red Bull KTM’s Daniel Sanders clearly with a careful eye on his own and his rivals’ back wheels.

The gamble of how fast or not to go plays out in real time as riders must decide how hard to hit those rocks and how much to twist their throttles. Go too slow and lose the race or go too fast and go out the race, this is the conundrum.

“I tried to manage it and protect my tyres as much as possible and not push too much in the rocks. But I can see a lot of riders have shredded rear tyres. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. If it’s a full stage there’s going to be a lot of drama I think.”

Third-placed Skyler Howes, suffering with a bit of a bug it seems, was starker about the realities of the tyre situation: “What’s going to tell us all apart now is who can make it to the finish line with these tyres. The feeling coming into the finish, I don’t think mine’s doing so good. I’m just hoping for the best.”

To finish first, first you must finish

Preserving your bike has always been part of off-road racing, of course, and nowhere more so than the Dakar. But the 48th edition is amplifying the need to watch out for the rocky terrain and its effect on rear tyres.

Why? Because the marked course this year is putting the competitors on more rocky terrain. Trails with small rocks, and scree-like conditions but also on days like today, stage four, in long stretches of bedrock with steps up and down, and so many sharp-edges.

The tyres haven’t changed this year, the speeds haven’t either, which points to more sharp and square edges encountered on the specials which are hacking away at the rally tyres.

The riders know about it. They are warned before the stage and have had a couple of days already of the course taking them through more technical sections. It’s in the notes on the roadbooks too. 

Whether they know abotu it or not, it caused serious concern among the competitors on this stage and will cause a bit of a restless nigth for some as they ponder if they will reach the next bivouac.

It’s a Marathon stage, not a 48Hr Chrono

Unlike the previous years where two days counted as one in the 48hr Chrono stage, the marathon stages this year is more in the traditional sense. Two days of racing count as two separate results but the rules are the same: riders cannot change parts including tyres or mousses and must do any work themselves.

The tactical game will play out tomorrow, for the rest of the week and during the second week where we have another marathon stage to go through all over again.

Photo Credit: Edo Bauer + Arabian Knight