Dakar 2026 | Stage 10 | Sanders stands tall despite brutal crash

One crash has shattered the leaderboard, but it hasn’t shattered Chucky’s resolve.

Daniel Sanders’ Dakar dream took a savage hit in the Saudi Arabian dunes on Wednesday, but the reigning motorcycle champion refused to surrender as Stage 10 delivered one of the cruellest days of the rally so far.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing star crashed heavily after 138km of the 371km test from the bivouac to Bisha, slamming into a dune at speed and suffering a suspected broken collarbone and sternum. In an instant, Sanders’ overall lead evaporated, dropping the Australian to fourth as Honda’s Ricky Brabec inherited the top spot.

“It looks like for sure a snapped collarbone… we’ve let the rally go now,” Sanders admitted after dragging himself back on to the bike. “We’ll go back to the team and re-evaluate the injuries and the situation and see if it’s safe to continue I guess.”

What followed was pure Dakar defiance. Helped up by Brabec — a moment that perfectly captured the spirit of the rally — Sanders somehow remounted and rode more than 200km through the dunes and rock fields, grimacing all the way to the finish.

“I wouldn’t have finished today if I didn’t want to continue,” he said. “I’ve just done 150k in the sand dunes, it’s all rocks now so I can just stand up and cruise along. Mum and dad didn’t raise no quitter, so I’m not pulling out now. Until someone else tells me to pull out, or they drag me out of the race, I’m not stopping.”

🎙️“Mum and Dad did not raise a quitter.”

The body hurts. The spirit is strong.#Dakar2026 #DakarInSaudi pic.twitter.com/3MaTVNCicH

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 14, 2026

At the sharp end, Adrien Van Beveren delivered a measured performance to claim the stage win for Honda, edging Brabec, who was later credited with one minute and 37 seconds for stopping to assist Sanders. That act of sportsmanship proved pivotal, vaulting the American into the overall lead.

Brabec now leads KTM’s Luciano Benavides by just 56 seconds, while Tosha Schareina sits third — though already more than 15 minutes adrift after a punishing day.

Benavides’ own stage was far from straightforward. Tasked with carrying KTM’s hopes at the front, the Argentinian endured a costly mistake after refuelling.

“It was a crazy, crazy day,” Benavides said. “I made a mistake after the refuel and got stuck in a dune. I lost five minutes there. In one moment I was thinking my Dakar was over. After a few minutes Brad Cox and Neels Theric stopped to help me. Today was a good chance to get some time back, but in the end I threw away another five minutes.”

The second half of the Marathon-Refuge stage also highlighted Dakar’s unique camaraderie. Young Red Bull KTM rider Edgar Canet stopped twice to assist injured competitors, sacrificing his own result in the process.

“After one kilometre I stopped to help a guy who had a crash until the helicopter came,” Canet said. “Then 45km from the end I stopped to help another crashed rider. I was with him for an hour. This is part of this race, but it’s not good to see.”

As the bivouac lights dimmed in Bisha, the leaderboard had shifted dramatically – Honda on top, KTM wounded but still fighting – and one battered Aussie preparing to defy pain, gravity and common sense to keep his Dakar alive.

2026 DAKAR RANKINGS AFTER STAGE 10