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

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

The 410km take a look at from Wadi ad-Dawasir to Bisha turned Dakar on its head, with in a single day chief Nasser Al-Attiyah and several other key contenders shedding important time as a result of navigation points.

Early on, reigning World Rally-Raid champion Lucas Moraes managed proceedings in his Dacia Sandrider, constructing a slender 1m30s benefit over Toyota’s Man Botterill by the 271km mark. However catastrophe struck for each drivers quickly after, throwing them each out of rivalry and selling 21-year-old Goczal into the digital lead.

Beginning deep within the order, the Polish driver benefitted from clear tracks specified by entrance of him, cruising to the end line with a margin of seven minutes to clinch his maiden stage win within the Final class.

His uncle Michal Goczal additionally averted the drama that befell their rivals to attain an excellent 1-2 for the household, as Energylandia outshone its manufacturing unit counterparts.

The perfect producer entrant was two-time bikes champion Toby Value in third, with the Toyota driver ending 11 minutes down in a dramatic stage.

Guillaume de Mevius introduced his X-Raid Mini dwelling in fourth, whereas Cristina Gutierrez emerged as the highest Dacia driver in fifth in spite of everything her team-mates dropped time.

#205 Energylandia Rally Staff Toyota: Eryk Goczal, Szymon Gospodarczyk

Picture by: A.S.O.

Ford’s star driver Carlos Sainz Sr additionally misplaced over quarter-hour by means of the day, together with 1m10s as a result of an overspeeding penalty, however nonetheless beat most of his direct rivals to complete the stage in sixth forward of team-mate Roma and Mini’s Lionel Baud.

Whereas Energylandia put collectively a shock, Toyota’s manufacturing unit crew largely endured a depressing day, with Seth Quintero, Botterill and Henk Lategan all dropping over 20 minutes to complete ninth, tenth and eleventh respectively. Lategan, Toyota’s most important title hope, was hampered by energy steering points on a stage the place navigation proved notably difficult.

It was additionally a disastrous outing for the Japanese producer’s former famous person Al-Attiyah, with the present Dacia driver getting misplaced round 280km into the stage. He finally reached the end line in twelfth, conceding 26 minutes to the stage winner.

However the day’s largest casualties have been Ford duo Mattias Ekstrom and Mitch Guthrie. Ekstrom haemorrhaged over half-hour on the run to the Refuge Bivouac in Bisha, whereas Guthrie’s losses prolonged to over an hour, ending any hopes of total rivalry.

The dramatic flip of occasions in Stage 9 has fully shaken up the general order, with two-time Dakar winner Roma now main a 1-2 for Ford, simply 57 seconds forward of team-mate Sainz. The 1m10s restored after his dashing penalty was overturned proved decisive in separating Roma and Sainz on the prime.

Al-Attiyah has slipped from first to 3rd within the rating, however solely 1m10s off the lead, with Lategan an extra 5 minutes adrift in fourth. Ekstrom, who had been sitting second in a single day, is now categorised in fifth, with WRC legend Sebastien Loeb cementing his grip on sixth regardless of shedding half an hour himself on Tuesday.

Value holds seventh forward of early Stage 9 chief Moraes, whose troubles have been compounded by a whopping 15-minute penalty. Century’s Matthieu Serradori and Dacia driver Gutierrez spherical out the provisional prime 10.