The 47th edition of the Dakar and the 6th in Saudi Arabia was completed in Shubaytah by 175 vehicles. 77 bikes (including 67 Rally 2), 40 Ultimate cars, 1 Stock car, 21 Challengers, 23 SSVs and 13 trucks reached the final finishing line after covering the entire 7,453 km (FIM) or 7,828 km (FIA) of the route. 52 vehicles that used their jokers also finished, while 108 were forced into premature exits from the rally (i.e., 32.24%). The bike race witnessed a return to the top step of the podium for KTM, which enjoyed its 20th triumph on the race thanks to the unshakable Daniel Sanders who became the second Australian winner on the Dakar after having dominated the race from start to finish, as Marc Coma did in 2009. The Dakar roll of honour welcomed a new name and a new nationality in the car category thanks to Yazeed Al Rajhi: the Saudi driver persevered until his 11th participation to enjoy his date with destiny, with the rare privilege of winning the rally on home soil, as was the case when Pierre Lartigue triumphed in 1994 on the Paris-Dakar-Paris! With Nicolas Cavigliasso (who triumphed in the quad category in 2019) winning the title in the Challenger class and Brock Heger in the SSV race on his 25th birthday, two new drivers also triumphed. Only Martin Macik, who dominated proceedings in the truck category, victoriously defended the title he conquered last year.
The Dakar Classic race for consistency came to a close with 80 vehicles (as opposed to 95 starters). Spanish title holder Carlos Santaolalla triumphed to become the first double winner since the creation of the category in 2021. The five vehicles enrolled in the Mission 1000 challenge completed their journey through Saudi Arabia, over a distance of 1,300 kilometres for this second edition. Progress was made since last year in terms of range and performance for the KH7 truck driven by Jordi Juvanteny, who already won in 2024, as for the hydrogen-powered HySe SSV. The three Segway electric bikes, which were newcomers to the challenge, also validated their technology on the terrains of the Dakar and can look forward with a whetted appetite to 2026.
Americans Ricky Brabec, Skyler Howes and Jacob Argubright finished the final stage in 10th, 11th and 15th, and finished fifth, sixth and 22nd overall.
The top 10 from Stage 12:
Top 10 finishers overall:
