Ford regains ground in Dakar with four drivers in the top 6 overall

The overall classification of the 2026 Dakar Rally changed dramatically on stage five. Ford placed Mattias Ekström (third), Nani Roma (fourth), Carlos Sainz (fifth) and Mitch Guthrie (sixth) in the top six of the overall standings, reclaiming four positions they had lost 24 hours earlier. Guthrie won the 371-kilometer special between Campamento Refugio and Hail after race officials penalized Roma by one minute for speeding. Henk Lategan retains the lead for Toyota with a 3'17" advantage over Nasser Al-Attiyah despite losing 12'43" opening the route without motorcycle tracks to guide him. The difference between stage 4 and stage 5 is dramatic for Ford. Yesterday, all the Raptors conceded over 25 minutes and lost four of five places in the top 5. Today, four Fords are within nine minutes of the leader. Only 8'33" separate Ekström (5'38" behind first) from Sainz (8'33" behind first), with Roma (6'59" behind) in between. Guthrie is 16'23" back overall because he hasn't yet recovered the time lost opening the track on stage 4.

Marathon Format

The marathon stage format increased the difficulty level. Teams spent the night at Campamento Refugio without access to professional mechanics, spare parts trucks, or complete tool sets. Each crew had to make do solely with what they carried in their vehicle. A mechanical issue that would be fixed overnight on a normal stage here could mean the end of the rally. Managing tires, spare parts, and mechanical wear became crucial to complete both stages without major setbacks.

Nani Roma Loses Stage Win to Penalty

Nani Roma finished the special with a four-second advantage over Mitch Guthrie. The two teammates had swapped positions during the last 100 kilometers. Guthrie held the lead for most of the route with margins over a minute, but the Spaniard reduced the gap to 21 seconds at the penultimate checkpoint and passed him in the last 50 kilometers.

Race officials determined that Roma exceeded the speed limit in a regulated zone and applied a one-minute penalty. The Spaniard was classified 1'06" behind Guthrie, who scores his second stage win in this Dakar. Martin Prokop brought his privateer Raptor to third place on the stage, 2'14" behind the winner, securing a 1-2-3 for Ford.

Dennis Krotov (M-Sport Ford) finished fifth at 5'12", followed by Ekström and Sainz with just two seconds separating them in sixth and seventh. Lucas Moraes broke the Ford sequence by placing his Dacia Sandrider in fourth place, 3'38" behind Guthrie.

Henk Lategan Limits Losses While Opening Without Reference

The motorcycles took a different route in this second half of the marathon stage, forcing Henk Lategan to navigate without previous tracks. Roma and Prokop benefited from running on tracks already marked by the early vehicles, but the South African faced virgin navigation with multiple junctions where recent rains had erased traces.

Lategan explained it was "one of the hardest specials to open" because "the tracks on many routes were minimal and there were numerous junctions." Nasser Al-Attiyah started right behind and also navigated without clear references, but both limited their losses considering the circumstances. Lategan conceded 12'43" to Guthrie's time. Al-Attiyah lost exactly his overall lead margin: 3'17".

"One of the hardest specials to open. The tracks on many routes were minimal and there were numerous junctions."

The Qatari commented that he saw Henk was maintaining a good pace and making no navigation errors, so he stayed behind because it would have been risky to try and pass him. The tactic cost him time on the stage but kept him in touch in the overall standings.

Lucas Moraes and Sébastien Loeb Keep Dacia in Contention

Lucas Moraes took advantage of Toyota's difficulties to place fourth on the stage. His time, 3'38" behind Guthrie, was the best among non-Ford vehicles. In the overall standings, he occupies seventh position, 17'11" behind Lategan.

Sébastien Loeb drove conservatively for the first 200 kilometers for fear of punctures that had affected him on previous stages, then accelerated in the second half. The Frenchman explained that until then he had been puncturing early in specials and then had to drive slowly, but that day he was able to enjoy it a bit more. He finished 11th on the stage and is eighth overall at 17'55", just 44 seconds behind Moraes.

The marathon stage format complicated tire management for all teams. Without access to mechanics overnight, any puncture or damage had to be resolved solely with the tools and spares the drivers carried in their vehicles.

Toyota placed three Hilux in the stage top 10: João Ferreira (eighth), Guy Botterill (ninth) and Seth Quintero (tenth).

Macík Scores Third Consecutive Win in Trucks

Martin Macík won his third consecutive stage in the truck category with the MM Technology Dakar EVO4. He leads Mitchel van den Brink by 9'29" in the overall classification. Kay Huzink recovered ground by finishing second on the stage, 4'18" back. Van den Brink was third at 4'01".

Macík now has 19 Dakar stage wins, tying Ales Loprais as the Czech with the most special stage victories in the rally's history.

Final Stage Before Rest Day

The sixth special will cover 300 kilometers of dunes between Hail and Riyadh. It will be the last timed test before Friday's rest day. The overall classification is so tight that those 300 kilometers could completely redefine the order of the top ten places.