Dakar Rally 2026 Stage 5: Ford's Guthrie Wins Cars, Hero MotoSports Second in Bikes

Ford bounced back in Dakar Rally 2026 Stage 5, with Mitch Guthrie taking the win over the 371km route from Al-Ula to Hail. At the wheel of the Ford Raptor T1+, Guthrie set the pace early and stayed in control through most of the timed section. He managed speed in navigation zones and avoided mistakes that caught others out. This result marked his second stage win of the rally and came at the right time for Ford, which had dropped time in the previous marathon stage. The Stage 5 result brought the team back into the fight ahead of the rest day and tightened the overall battle.

Behind the leading pair, Martin Prokop finished third for MD Sports, while Lucas Moraes ended Stage 5 in fourth for the Dacia Sandriders team. Five Ford crews finished inside the top seven, showing the strength of the package across teams. In the overall standings, Toyota Gazoo Racing stayed on top, with Henk Lategan leading Nasser Al-Attiyah by 3m17s. Ford now holds positions two through five overall as the rally heads towards Riyadh.

Stage 5 also delivered a strong bike result, with Luciano Benavides taking the win for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Benavides rode smart across the tough marathon terrain, balancing speed with control through dunes, rocks, and tricky navigation sections to grab his first stage win of this year’s rally. Nacho Cornejo followed in second after another steady ride, while Daniel Sanders finished third to stay in the overall fight. It was a proper Dakar stage where tyre management, focus, and clean navigation mattered as much as outright pace.

Indians in Dakar Rally 2026

Stage 5 of Dakar Rally 2026 saw Hero MotoSport's Nacho Cornejo deliver a controlled ride to finish second and move up to fifth overall. He managed tyre and mousse wear across the Marathon Refuge and held second by the 141 km mark. By passing several quick riders, Cornejo claimed his first top-two stage result since Stage 10 of the 2024 Dakar and his strongest showing so far in 2026.

For Ross Branch, the stage became about survival. Rear tyre damage led to a mousse failure early on, forcing a focus on bike preservation. He finished 48th and now sits 10th overall. Attention now shifts to Stage 6, Dakar 2026’s longest day at 920 km, running through the Qassim dunes before the rest day in Riyadh.

Privateer Jatin Jain stayed on course at the Dakar Rally 2026 by completing Stage 5 in the bike category. Racing in the Rally2 class on a Kove 450 Rally, Jain has made it through five stages so far. He currently sits 100th in the overall general classification, taking his Dakar 2026 challenge one stage at a time.