The seventh stage of the Dakar Rally delivered drama and decisive action as competitors left the Saudi Arabian capital Riyad for a 876-kilometre journey to Wadi Al-Dawasir, with 462 kilometres of competitive special stage testing the field. Mattias Ekström emerged victorious in the car category, closing the gap to overall leader Nasser Al Attiyah, while Dutch motorcyclist Ian Olthof experienced an unsettling moment when he discovered what he feared was a deceased person lying in the desert, only to find someone taking a rest. The stage also saw significant developments across multiple categories, with punctures, mechanical failures and navigation errors reshaping the overall standings.
Benavides brothers dominate separate categories
Luciano Benavides captured the motorcycle stage victory after four hours and 56 seconds of racing, finishing nearly five minutes ahead of KTM teammate Edgar Canet. The performance underscored KTM’s continued strength in the bike category, though not without challenges for other factory riders. Daniel Sanders crossed the line fourth but suffered a costly navigation error during the morning hours that allowed title rival Ricky Brabec to close within four minutes in the general classification. Brabec himself only managed tenth on the stage, demonstrating how narrow the margins have become in the championship battle. Bradley Cox provided Sherco’s sole top-ten finish but tumbled down the overall order after a fuel pump failure cost him valuable time.
Olthof’s stage took an unexpected turn when he spotted a figure lying motionless in the desert landscape. The Dutch rider made the decision to divert from his racing line to check on the person’s condition, fearing the worst in the harsh desert environment. His relief was palpable when he discovered the individual was simply sleeping rather than in medical distress, though the detour contributed to his 42nd-place stage finish.
Stewards reverse decision as Ekström strikes in car category
The competitive picture in the car class shifted during the rest day when rally officials reversed a time penalty that had cost Nani Roma the stage five victory. Originally handed to Mitch Guthrie after Roma received a speeding infraction, the win was restored to the Spanish driver following review by the stewards, highlighting the fine margins and technical scrutiny that define modern rally competition.
Stage seven belonged emphatically to Ekström, who piloted his Ford Raptor to victory by more than four minutes over João Ferreira’s Toyota. Guthrie salvaged third place ahead of Toby Price, while the leading Dacia entries of Lucas Moraes and Sébastien Loeb rounded out the top six. Al Attiyah encountered mechanical troubles that left his car visibly damaged, yet the Qatari driver’s eleventh-place finish proved sufficient to maintain his overall lead. His closest challenger, Henk Lategan, suffered a broken shock absorber that relegated him to thirteenth and further extended Al Attiyah’s advantage.
The Dutch contingent faced mixed fortunes, with Tim and Tom Coronel managing 39th place despite fuel conservation measures necessitated by a problematic fuel tank. Janus van Kasteren’s day unraveled after striking a rock that destroyed both his oil cooler and radiator, costing him four hours. Teammate Michiel Becx encountered similar misfortune ten kilometres further along the route when front-end damage from a rock impact ended his stage prematurely. Van Kasteren benefited from the unfortunate circumstances by salvaging Becx’s functional oil cooler to limp to the finish.
Historic truck victory as Van den Brink’s lead narrows
Vaidotas Žala entered the Dakar record books by becoming the first competitor to win stages in both the car and truck categories across his rally career. The Lithuanian driver, supported by Dutch mechanic Max van Grol, mastered the demanding terrain to finish ahead of Aleš Loprais and Martin Macík. Kay Huzink delivered the strongest Dutch performance in fourth position, while overall leader Mitchel van den Brink encountered significant difficulties.
Van den Brink’s navigation error led him into what he described as a “stone paradise,” resulting in a puncture that dropped him to fifth on the stage. The setback allowed Macík to reduce the gap in the general classification from 35 minutes to 28 minutes, injecting renewed tension into the truck category battle. Gert Huzink and Martin van den Brink both secured top-ten stage finishes, while Richard de Groot tumbled down the order after receiving a substantial 29-minute penalty.
Challenger and SSV classes see tight battles
The T3 Challenger category witnessed strong Dutch representation with Paul Spierings and Puck Klaassen finishing ninth and tenth respectively, though both drivers ended approximately ten minutes behind stage winner Kevin Benavides. Nicolás Cavigliasso’s third-place finish proved strategically valuable, cutting class leader Pau Navarro’s advantage to just two minutes and 48 seconds heading into the remaining stages.
Jeremías González Ferioli claimed the T4 SSV stage victory by the slimmest of margins, defeating Can-Am teammates Kyle Chaney and João Monteiro by seven and nine seconds respectively. The razor-thin gaps highlighted the competitive intensity in the lightweight buggy class, where mechanical reliability and precise navigation often matter more than outright speed.
What this means going forward
The stage seven results have tightened multiple championship battles while highlighting the punishing nature of the Saudi Arabian desert terrain. Al Attiyah’s mechanical issues serve as a reminder that no lead is secure until the finish line in Shubaytah, while Van den Brink’s reduced advantage keeps the truck category genuinely competitive. The decision to check on a sleeping figure rather than maintain racing pace demonstrates the human element that persists even in motorsport’s most demanding endurance event, with Olthof prioritising potential welfare concerns over stage time. As the rally progresses toward its second week, the combination of extreme terrain, mechanical attrition and navigation challenges ensures that no competitor can afford complacency in the stages ahead.
