2026 Dakar Rally stage 11 results sees Monster Energy Honda pair Skyler Howes and Adrien Van Beveren separated by seconds for the day win as things get spicy in the contest for the overall race victory between Luciano Benavides and Ricky Brabec.

Dakar 2026 Stage 11 summed up:

If the results for the 2026 Dakar were only taken for week two, we’d have a very different picture now. A whole heap of sand to start the second week has favoured riders who like it like that and as the race takes its toll with retirements and injuries, there’s a lot more red about.

Monster Energy Honda has five riders in the top seven after today’s 346 kilometre special and a close fight for the stage win between Skyler Howes and Adrien Van Beveren, which saw the American take it by 21 seconds. This was the first stage win for Howes at his eighth Dakar on terrain which he said was a lot like home in Utah. 

His Frenchman teammate amassed bonus points for leading all the way but Howes set the fastest pace of all from fourth off the start line and claims his first stage win, although the HRC rider said, “I’m stoked on my result and riding today and to get a stage win but I don’t come here to get fifth, I want to be on that podium and fighting for the win.”

Edgar Canet was best KTM rider on the ground today. After a handy 10th place start, Canet hit a fast pace to finish just over one minute behind the duelling HRC riders Howes and Van Beveren. Edgar will be able to help his teammate Luciano Benavides tomorrow – if the Argentine can catch the Spaniard.

Sanders still in the race, somehow

Broken collarbone, and sternum, aren’t you going to rest up? ‘Yeah, nah’, says Chucky who gritted his teeth today and carried on.

We think most people who have had a big impact crash know what it feels like the next morning. How hard it can be to move and do the simplest tasks like going for a crap, for example. So what about getting up at just after 3am to get on your bike and go race (Sanders left the bivouac at 4:39am this morning)?

Daniel finished just 10 minutes off the winner’s pace today and still sits fourth overall and though he is likely to lose out to Howes and Van Beveren, possibly Cornejo, by the finish, for now, hats off, you Aussie nutter.

Brabec’s big time gamble

The fight for the overall race lead just got interesting, mainly because in the last few kilometres Ricky Brabec basically stopped and handed minutes of time back to his rival, Luciano Benavides.

The Honda rider could have finished second or third, given his pace and having led with Van Beveren to amass bonus points. In a position which would have seen him sitting pretty in the overall ranking, Ricky chose to wait near the finish, handing the overall to Benavides and KTM with the aim of a better start position tomorrow.

It’s not at all a new strategy to stop and wait like this, it has historically happened countless times, but to throw away nearly four minutes’ advantage in the overall to his rival looks like a risky choice at this stage of the race.

Brabec says tomorrow is a mixed terrain day and starting further back will prove a bigger picture benefit. But he proved himself he could run at the front, gain time and clock bonus points today, a stage which started fast but was also mixed with rocks for large sections.

Starting just behind his Honda teammates in third or fourth (where he would have been) would still be a good position many would have opted for on the third-last day of the Dakar. Instead, Brabec chose to wait, let Benavides go through and will start from sixth, second by 23 seconds in the classification (see below).

Could have been better for Benavides?

Benavides meanwhile could have made that advantage count more today. The Argentine had the chance to close down the American, who started three minutes ahead off the line, but the KTM rider lost time and got caught by Howes from behind, meaning the opposite happened. As much as you look at the time Brabec handed over, these “lost” minutes will count tomorrow and Saturday.

Luciano lost a bit of time looking for mid-stage waypoints and got caught by Howes, who he then steadily fell off the back of. Though the KTM rider rallied in the final stages to close out the day 3:47 off the pace, if he’d caught Brabec he would have three minutes in his pocket now.

Brabec, starting two places behind Benavides in sixth tomorrow and with his Honda teammate Schareina between them, will hope to do exactly that and close the KTM in front. On the flipside, if Benavides hauls ass tomorrow then Brabec and his employers will look back on all that sitting and waiting with a furrowed brow. What a game to play.

Say what? Top two riders getting spicy:

Ricky Brabec: “We’re getting close to the end and things are shaking up. There’s only one more day to push. Me and Adrien rode together for a bit today and then a little bit of strategy which I hope pays off tomorrow. Tomorrow we’re going back into the rocks and a varied stage so hopefully it will be a bit better for us.

“Today was super-fast, the first 100ks were flat out on the stop. Just before refuelling it got a little bit technical and that’s where I caught up with Adrien and we rode together for a little bit. I had to do a little strategy, now we'll get ready for tomorrow.

“It’s always a little stressful battling for the podium spots but I’ve been in this situation before and I’ve been trying to relax the whole two weeks, stay relaxed and be confident.”

Luciano Benavides: “It was not such a good day for the feeling on the bike. It was super-fast in some sections and I didn’t like the terrain so much so I tried to take it easy and not crash, it was not safe to ride fast there.

“I did my best though and did not play any strategy like Ricky. Also yesterday he stopped for Daniel to make up his time but I don’t care, I’m doing what I can do and tomorrow one big push. It’s still super-tight in the overall…it’s not going to be decided until the last day.”

New Rally2 leader

Slovenian Toni Mulec had been declared the R2 stage winner until Martim Ventura was later given a 2:23 time credit (we’re not sure at time of writing why). That meant a second career stage win for the Dakar rookie in the Rally 2 class and seventh scratch.

But it’s Mulec who has the biggest boost today as he assumes the top spot in class. Second in the Rally 2 overall rankings since stage four, Mulec trailed Preston Campbell by almost 20 minutes at some points. But the American has struggled these last two days, particularly in the soft sand and dunes, which has allowed the Slovenian Mulec to gain 14 minutes yesterday and finally take over the lead by 2:27 from Campbell. Ventura is third trailing by 1:39.35 after a mechanical issue early in the rally.

OBM

Original by Motul leader Benjamin Melot lost a bit more time today to chief rival Josep Pedro. The Spaniard is now within 10s of the Frenchman with Belgian Jerome Martiny third, a further minute behind in this close contest for the unassisted riders.

Dakar 2026 Stage 11 results:

Provisional classification after stage 11, RallyGP:

Provisional classification after stage 11, Rally2:

Photo Credit: Honda Racing + Marcelo Maragni RBCP + Edo Photo + A.S.O. F. le Floc'h | A. Vincent | J. Delfosse