Tosha Schareina Strikes Back as Daneil Sanders Holds Dakar Lead After Demanding Stage 3

Tosha Schareina delivered a barnstorming performance on Stage 3 of the Dakar Rally, claiming his first stage win of the 2026 event as Monster Energy Honda HRC teammate Ricky Brabec made it a Honda one-two, while Australia’s Daniel Sanders limited the damage in third to retain the overall lead after a brutally technical day around AlUla.

Stage three featured a demanding 421 km loop from the AlUla bivouac, with riders thrown into a punishing mix of sand, rocks and gravel threaded through dramatic canyons. Navigation proved especially tricky on the plateaus, where recent rainfall had wiped away many visible tracks, forcing competitors to balance outright speed with meticulous road book work across constantly changing terrain.

After a relatively subdued opening to his Dakar, Tosha Schareina finally unleashed his pace despite suffering a small crash during the stage. The Spaniard remounted quickly, regrouped, and began pushing hard, eventually pulling clear to secure a convincing stage victory by more than two minutes. It marked Schareina’s third career Dakar stage win, fittingly at AlUla, the same location where he claimed his first, and lifted him onto the provisional overall rankings in third, just 1’13” from the Sanders’ lead. Reflecting on the day, Schareina said the stage was “not easy” with “many rocks again and the navigation really, really tricky,” explaining that the plan was clear from the outset: “The strategy today was to win and we did it.” With the marathon stage looming, he added that starting near the front would require care with tyres, bike and body, but insisted he felt in a good position to keep pushing.

Behind him, Ricky Brabec rode a measured yet aggressive stage to secure second place and valuable bonus seconds. Starting far enough back to mount a charge, the two-time Dakar winner steadily reeled in the riders ahead and launched a final push over the closing kilometres, with Schareina his main reference. While the stage win just eluded him, Brabec’s clean ride tightened the overall battle, moving him to within just 1’07” of Sanders at the top of the standings. Brabec explained his focus was simple: try to catch Sanders and claw back bonus time, saying he “rode the best I could, had fun, caught Daniel and got some bonus credit,” as he looked ahead to the physically demanding marathon stages.

For overall leader Daniel Sanders, opening the stage proved a tough assignment, but the Australian again showed his consistency under pressure. Sanders banked over six minutes in bonus time on his way to third, securing his fourth consecutive top-three stage result and maintaining the overall lead after three days of racing. He described Stage 3 as “definitely a tough stage” and one of the most demanding navigation days he has experienced, noting that the slower-than-expected pace only increased the importance of precision. Despite a few small errors, Sanders was pleased with his rhythm and decision-making, and believes starting further back on Stage 4 could play into his hands as the rally heads deeper into the marathon.

Just off the podium, Luciano Benavides made the most of a favourable start position to charge into fourth. The Argentine rider was inside the top two for much of the stage after pushing hard early, but a combination of dust, small navigation errors and a couple of low-speed crashes late in the special cost him time. Still, he held on for fourth, his best finish so far, and improved to fifth overall. Benavides admitted the second half of the stage punished anyone trying to push, saying it was “easy to miss corners,” but remained upbeat about his feeling on the bike as the rally continues to ramp up.

Consistency again paid off for Skyler Howes, who brought his Monster Energy Honda HRC machine home in fifth despite a two-minute penalty. The American lost time with a costly mistake late in the stage but still enjoyed the challenge of the AlUla terrain, describing the region as “unreal” despite the hidden tracks and relentless rocks. Sitting seventh overall, Howes remains firmly in the mix heading into the marathon stages.

Stage 3 was a dramatic one for Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo, who briefly wrote a small piece of Dakar history by becoming the first Hero MotoSports rider to lead a stage outright this year. The Chilean took control early and held the lead until around the 80 km mark, but a heavy crash near kilometre 140 saw him lose significant time and forced a tablet change on his bike. Despite being sore, Cornejo remounted and fought his way to sixth on the stage, later describing the crash as one that “could have been much worse,” as he praised the bike for taking the impact and vowed to keep fighting.

Teammate Ross Branch endured a more frustrating day, finishing seventh after a promising start. The Botswanan enjoyed the flowing opening kilometres but admitted that a series of small mistakes after the refuelling zone on tighter, more technical terrain cost him time. While not his strongest Dakar stage, Branch brought the bike home safely and remains focused on the long game, sitting sixth overall despite an earlier penalty.

After his impressive runner-up finish on Stage 2, Edgar Canet faced a very different challenge, starting near the front with limited tracks to follow. The young Spaniard rode his own race through the demanding navigation and rocky conditions, minimising mistakes and maintaining a steady rhythm to finish eighth on the stage. Although he drops to fourth overall, Canet was pleased to escape such a tough day without crashing and believes the experience will pay dividends as the rally wears on.

It was another challenging outing for Adrien Van Beveren, whose Dakar has yet to fully ignite. A navigation error around the 310 km mark cost the Frenchman valuable time, dropping him to ninth on the stage and leaving him ninth overall. While clearly frustrated, Van Beveren kept his assessment measured, explaining that the terrain was rough and that the riders ahead simply did a better job on the day as he continues to search for his best rhythm.

Rounding out the top ten, Michael Docherty once again underlined his Rally2 dominance with a superb ride to tenth outright while comfortably claiming another Rally2 stage victory. The South African extended his Rally2 overall lead after three days, continuing a flawless start to his Dakar campaign.

In Rally2, Docherty topped Stage 3 ahead of Martim Ventura and Preston Campbell, with Ruy Barbosa also featuring strongly despite losing time. Overall, Docherty now holds a commanding Rally2 lead at 12h35’57”, with Ventura 3’32” back and Campbell a further 27’34” adrift. Ventura, who battled through an early crash, described Stage 3 as “the toughest special of my life,” admitting he was mentally and physically shaken but proud to reach the finish as attention now turns to surviving the marathon stages without outside assistance.

Looking ahead to Stage 4, riders will tackle the first leg of the marathon stage on Wednesday, covering a total of 526 kilometres, including 417 kilometres against the clock. With no external support permitted and only basic overnight facilities, strategy, mechanical sympathy and rider endurance will come sharply into focus as the Dakar Rally begins to reveal its true character.