2026 Dakar Prologue – Setting the Starting Order

The new motorsport year started with the famous Dakar Rally. The 2026 Dakar prologue was the start of the 48th edition of the famous rally raid. The prologue is, typically, a short loop that is held to determine the starting order of the race proper, which takes place tomorrow. Read our ‘Dakar 101‘ article here if you are still learning about the race.

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The short, 22-km timed run took place around Yanbu, which has served as the pre-race camp for over a week. The first proper day of racing is Stage 1 on Sunday. Nevertheless, teams were keen to set a good time to measure themselves against the competition. More importantly, the starting order on stage 1 will be dictated by today’s performances. The starting order for stage one could make a massive difference to performances in the dusty, rocky desert.

Calm and Prepared

Five-time Dakar Rally winner Nasser Al-Attiyah said ahead of the race: “I have a good feeling and I’m ready. The competition is high and we are happy to have this challenge. I feel more experienced and I feel calmer. I’m still good on this kind of sandy and rocky terrain. This year, if you look at the two marathon stages, it’s not easy. The second marathon is a long stage with plenty of hours in the car.”

The reigning champ, Yazeed Al Rajhi was also optimistic: “We won last year and, for sure, our goal is to win again. We’ve still got the pace. In Morocco, Timo and I agreed from the start that we just wanted to turn over a new leaf. We made no attempt to go on the attack in Portugal because we weren’t at 100%. Now, we’re ready to fight when the right time comes.”

Only for Start Positions

The times set today are not added to competitors race times, so the differences don’t mean too much. However, teams were keen to be quick as the top 15 get to choose their starting positions on stage one. It was Al-Attiyah who set the early pace in his Dacia Sandrider. He was quickly usurped by the Ford Raptors of Mattias Ekstrom and Mitch Guthrie. Guilliame de Mevius also got in on the act showing there is still life in the X-Raid Minis.

Seth Quintero was the quickest of the Toyotas in 4th, mere tenths head of defending champ Al Rajhi. Saood Variawa was the quickest South African on today’s prologue, coming home in tenth. Second place man at the 2025 event, Henk Lategan suffered a puncture, which dropped him down the order. There were four brands represented in the top five with 20 seconds covering the top 12 finishers, which bodes well for the race.