Dakar 2026, Stage 9: Ford takes 1-2 in overall standings as rivals hit trouble

Eryk Goczal claimed a shock win for Toyota customer Energylandia in Stage 9 of the Dakar Rally, as Nani Roma surged from fourth place to assume the overall lead.

The 410km test from Wadi ad-Dawasir to Bisha turned Dakar on its head, with overnight leader Nasser Al-Attiyah and several key contenders losing significant time due to navigation issues.

Early on, reigning World Rally-Raid champion Lucas Moraes controlled proceedings in his Dacia Sandrider, building a slender 1m30s advantage over Toyota’s Guy Botterill by the 271km mark. But disaster struck for both drivers soon after, throwing them both out of contention and promoting 21-year-old Goczal into the virtual lead.

Starting deep in the order, the Polish driver benefitted from clear tracks laid out in front of him, cruising to the finish line with a margin of seven minutes to clinch his maiden stage win in the Ultimate class.

His uncle Michal Goczal also avoided the drama that befell their rivals to score a brilliant 1-2 for the family, as Energylandia outshone its factory counterparts.

The best manufacturer entrant was two-time bikes champion Toby Price in third, with the Toyota driver finishing 11 minutes down in a dramatic stage.

Guillaume de Mevius brought his X-Raid Mini home in fourth, while Cristina Gutierrez emerged as the top Dacia driver in fifth after all her team-mates dropped time.

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Ford’s star driver Carlos Sainz Sr also lost over 15 minutes through the day, including 1m10s due to an overspeeding penalty, but still beat most of his direct rivals to finish the stage in sixth ahead of team-mate Roma and Mini’s Lionel Baud.

While Energylandia put together a surprise, Toyota’s factory team largely endured a miserable day, with Seth Quintero, Botterill and Henk Lategan all dropping over 20 minutes to finish ninth, 10th and 11th respectively. Lategan, Toyota’s main title hope, was hampered by power steering issues on a stage where navigation proved particularly challenging.

It was also a disastrous outing for the Japanese manufacturer’s former superstar Al-Attiyah, with the current Dacia driver getting lost around 280km into the stage. He eventually reached the finish line in 12th, conceding 26 minutes to the stage winner.

But the day’s biggest casualties were Ford duo Mattias Ekstrom and Mitch Guthrie. Ekstrom haemorrhaged over 30 minutes on the run to the Refuge Bivouac in Bisha, while Guthrie’s losses extended to over an hour, ending any hopes of overall contention.

The dramatic turn of events in Stage 9 has completely shaken up the overall order, with two-time Dakar winner Roma now leading a 1-2 for Ford, just 57 seconds ahead of team-mate Sainz. The 1m10s restored after his speeding penalty was overturned proved decisive in separating Roma and Sainz at the top.

Al-Attiyah has slipped from first to third in the ranking, but only 1m10s off the lead, with Lategan a further five minutes adrift in fourth. Ekstrom, who had been sitting second overnight, is now classified in fifth, with WRC legend Sebastien Loeb cementing his grip on sixth despite losing half an hour himself on Tuesday.

Price holds seventh ahead of early Stage 9 leader Moraes, whose troubles were compounded by a whopping 15-minute penalty. Century’s Matthieu Serradori and Dacia driver Gutierrez round out the provisional top 10.

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