Nani Roma Climbs to Second in Dakar 2026 Standings After Stage 11
On the eleventh day of the 2026 Dakar Rally, held in Saudi Arabia between Bisha and Al Henakiyah with a 346 km special, Spanish drivers excelled in the car category. Nani Roma solidified his position as the main challenger to the leader, while Carlos Sainz secured a strong stage podium finish.
Stage Win for Mattias Ekström and a Ford 1-2-3 Finish
The Swede Mattias Ekström, at the wheel of a Ford Raptor, won the stage with a time of 2h47:22. His teammates completed the podium: Romain Dumas was second at 1:22 and Carlos Sainz third at 2:26. This result reflects the Ford Racing team’s strong performance on a day of fast tracks with numerous junctions and intersections.
Nani Roma Rises in the Overall Standings
Nani Roma finished the special in 11th place, 8:37 behind the winner, but gained over four minutes on leader Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Qatari, managing his lead, finished further back without taking any risks. The main beneficiary was Roma, who took advantage of Henk Lategan’s mechanical failure (losing over an hour and a half due to suspension problems) to climb to second place in the overall standings, reducing the gap to Al-Attiyah to 8:40.
Carlos Sainz’s Position and Other Notables
Carlos Sainz, who started further back after issues on the previous stage, demonstrated competitive pace to place third on the stage. In the overall standings, the driver from Madrid moves up to fifth place, 28:48 behind the leader. Sébastien Loeb holds third place, 18:37 behind Al-Attiyah, and Mattias Ekström is fourth at 21:32.
The 11th stage now focuses the fight for victory on Nasser Al-Attiyah and Nani Roma with two decisive days remaining. The Qatari maintains a comfortable lead, but the Catalan is still in a position to apply pressure.
