Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah temporarily leads overall standings in 2026 Dakar Rally

Riyadh: Qatar s Nasser Al Attiyah has taken the provisional lead in the ultimate category of the 2026 Dakar Rally, the 48th edition of the event, whic...

Riyadh: Qatar's Nasser Al Attiyah has taken the provisional lead in the ultimate category of the 2026 Dakar Rally, the 48th edition of the event, which is being hosted by Saudi Arabia for the seventh consecutive year, with 812 competitors participating.

Al Attiyah capitalized on his consistent performance to move into the lead overall, recording a time of 7 hours, 12 minutes, and 16 seconds, after finishing eighth in Monday's second stage. He is seven seconds ahead of American Seth Quintero, winner of today's stage and second overall, one minute and nine seconds ahead of Belgian Guillaume de Mevius, winner of yesterday's first stage and third overall, one minute and 28 seconds ahead of South African Henk Latigan, fourth overall, and one minute and 57 seconds ahead of Frenchman Sébastien Loeb, fifth overall.Photo taken from official website of the Dakar Rally

Monday's competition featured the second stage of the rally, a 400-kilometer route connecting Yanbu and Al-Ula, including a 104-kilometer liaison section. American Seth Quintero topped the stage with a time of 3 hours, 57 minutes, and 16 seconds, finishing 1 minute and 42 seconds ahead of South African Henk Latigan in second place, and 1 minute and 56 seconds ahead of Saudi Arabian Yazeed Al Rajhi in third.

The rally continues on Tuesday with the third stage, Al Ula-Al Ula, covering a distance of 422 kilometers, including a 314-kilometer liaison section.

The total distance of the rally, which comprises 13 diverse stages, is 7,994 kilometers for cars and 7,906 kilometers for motorcycles, of which 4,480 kilometers are timed for cars and 4,748 kilometers for motorcycles.