DAKAR 2026 | Canet Wins Stage 1 Ahead of Sanders

Spanish KTM rider backs up Prologue pace to become youngest stage winner ever

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing have made an exceptional start to the 2026 Dakar Rally with Edgar Canet and Daniel Sanders delivering a one-two result on stage one.

Sunday’s stage one delivered a brutal opening challenge, with a 524-kilometre loop around Yanbu, including 305 kilometres raced against the clock. The day began in unforgiving terrain, where narrow passes and jagged rock gardens demanded maximum focus from all riders. Conditions only eased later on as the route opened into sand and small dunes near the finish, ensuring the first full day of racing pushed riders and machines to the limit from the very first kilometre.

Choosing to set off near the back of the lead group courtesy of his prologue victory, Canet immediately focused on chasing down the riders ahead of him. Quickest to the first checkpoint at kilometre 28, Edgar then maintained his place inside the top three through to kilometre 260 where he intensified his pace to move further up the order. Making very few errors, Canet showed incredible maturity on the stage to ultimately take the win by just over one minute ahead of Sanders. The 20-year-old now leads the provisional rally standings and faces the task of opening Monday’s 504-kilometre stage two.

Sanders followed up his second-place prologue performance with another runner-up result on stage one. Riding in the dust of fellow KTM racer Canet for the entire stage, the reigning Dakar Champion did exactly what was necessary to stay in touch with the Spaniard. For stage two, the situation will be the same, with Sanders chasing down his teammate at the front of the field.

Despite battling heavy dust throughout the stage, American Ricky Brabec once again led the Honda charge.  Benefiting from his 14th starting position, he rode a measured and consistent stage to finish third, just 1’32” behind stage winner Edgar Canet. Brabec will look to carry this momentum into the coming days while staying firmly in touch with the overall leaders.

Edgar Canet – Stage: 1st Overall: 1st
“I’m really happy with how the rally has started. Winning the prologue gave me a great feeling straight away and my rhythm was good, I felt confident on the bike and I was able to follow the roadbook with 100% confidence, braking before the dangers and avoiding unnecessary risks while still being fast. Today’s stage was very demanding with a lot of different terrain, from fast sections to slow, rocky areas, but my navigation was strong and the bike felt great again. Apart from a small mistake that cost a few seconds, everything came together nicely, so to take another win and start the rally like this is incredible.”

Daniel Sanders – Stage: 2nd  Overall: 2nd
“It was great to get underway and just be back on the start line. The prologue was much faster than expected and not very technical, so it was pretty much full gas the whole way and the times were very close, but it was good to get it done and focus on the stages ahead. Stage one was similar in that sense – very fast and quite straightforward – but the conditions made it tricky, with strong winds, a lot of dust and even a sandstorm at times, which made it hard to stay fully focused. Still, it felt good to get through the first proper day without any issues. I’m looking forward to the stages to come when the terrain gets more rocky, which suits me better.”

Ricky Brabec – Stage: 3rd  Overall: 3rd
“It’s the first official Dakar stage and I’m exactly where I want to be. I don’t want to open this early, but I also don’t want to start at the very back. I’m happy where I’m at, looking forward to stage two and the rest of the rally. Overall, the team is looking good and the mechanics are doing a good job. Tomorrow, I’ll be happy to leave the bivouac and start heading North getting into some cooler weather. I don’t think there was any strategy for me today, for me personally, it was just to make it to the end of the stage with no mistakes and be consistent throughout the day, which I think I managed that fairly well. I’m going into stage two happy, exactly where I want to be and although I not sure when the race will start, we’re pushing hard already, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

2026 DAKAR RANKINGS AFTER STAGE 1