The Dacia Sandriders' awesome foursome determined to deliver on the Dakar Rally

The Dacia Sandriders will take on motorsport's ultimate adventure for the second time when it contests the Dakar Rally, the opening round of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), from January 3-17.

After registering a stage win on its Dakar Rally debut 12 months ago – plus two victories in last season's W2RC – The Dacia Sandriders returns to Saudi Arabia with a four-strong line-up aiming for further success across some of the kingdom's most challenging terrain.

For two weeks, The Dacia Sandriders will battle against the clock over sand dunes, testing tracks and rocky passes as it aims to begin its W2RC title challenge on a high.

Taking on the ultra-demanding 7994-kilometre route from the Red Sea port city of Yanbu and back again are four of the sport's most formidable driver/navigator pairings.

With 21 starts and five Dakar Rally victories to his name, Nasser Al-Attiyah brings formidable performance and pedigree to The Dacia Sandriders' attack. A three-time winner of the W2RC title and runner-up in last season's standings, the Qatari, 55, is partnered by Belgian navigator Fabian Lurquin.

Praised for providing the ultimate supporting role to their team-mates during the 2025 Dakar Rally, Spaniards Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno will be determined to let their driving and navigating do the talking as they aim to build on the potential they demonstrated during three W2RC appearances for The Dacia Sandriders last year.

Sébastien Loeb, a nine-time winner of the FIA World Rally Championship, is joined for his 10th Dakar Rally by fellow Frenchman Édouard Boulanger, the 2025 W2RC champion navigator. After being forced to retire from the Dakar Rally 12 months ago with damage caused by an accident on Stage 3, 51-year-old Loeb is determined to improve upon his previous best Dakar Rally result of second place achieved in 2017, 2022 and 2023.

Further strengthening The Dacia Sandriders' Dakar Rally challenge, which increases from three to four cars, are defending FIA World Rally-Raid champion Lucas Moraes from Brazil and his new German navigator Dennis Zenz. Moraes completed the Dakar Rally podium on his event debut in 2023 with Zenz runner-up in class the same year.

The quartet will compete in upgraded four-wheel-drive Dacia Sandrider cars powered by ARAMCO sustainable fuel and equipped with BFGoodrich tyres.

THE DACIA SANDRIDER: WHAT'S NEW FOR 2026

The Dacia Sandrider features several key upgrades for the 2026 Dakar Rally focused on weight reduction, cooling efficiency, visibility, reliability and driver comfort. The main improvements are: Lighter body panels to improve agility and efficiency. A redesigned rear section with the boot assembly removed and a new rear panel added. A new air intake with a short snorkel version designed specifically for the Dakar Rally. A re-positioned air filter box. Updated rear radiator grille design to maintain cooling even with partial blockage. Foam filter added to the front grille to reduce sand entering the front fan. New fan motors with higher operating speed and updated electronics for better reliability. Water-cooled DC-DC unit to ensure cooling performance without relying solely on airflow. Removal of headlight LED housing to improve forward visibility between bonnet and blade. Upgraded LED spotlight for improved night driving vision. Safety flagpole added for sand dune stages. Reinforced upper wishbones for improved durability. Reduced clamp-load clutch unit. New front propshaft design for better spline durability. Updated torquemeter with torque limiter to prevent overload. New FIA-homologated connecting rods to enhance engine reliability. Engine software upgrades to optimise power delivery within FIA limits and reduce overpower risk. New on-board camera system to support performance analysis. Optional helmet cooling system for extreme temperatures.

VIEW FROM THE TOP: TIPHANIE ISNARD, TEAM PRINCIPAL

While expectations are high, Tiphanie Isnard, Team Principal of The Dacia Sandriders, is fully aware of the intense challenge in store.

"Only one year after our first participation in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship and Dacia's very first steps into motorsport, we are already back at the start of the world's toughest event, and the one that demands the most from every human involved. We approach the Dakar Rally with determination and ambition. Our objective is clear: we want to win. And to give ourselves every chance, we've built a line-up and assembled crews operating at the highest level of performance and experience, with great consistency and calm inside the cockpits to take on such an extraordinary human challenge. The team is ready as well. Everyone has given so much this year – dedication, determination, countless hours of work – to ensure we arrive fully prepared for what lies ahead. Technically, we have taken the car to maturity. It has shown strong performance on every type of terrain, from dunes to fast tracks, and that is exactly what awaits us at the Dakar. We are equipped to face the Dakar, but we approach it with humility. The Dakar always has another side – unexpected challenges, surprises and setbacks – and that's also why we love this event. It demands constant endurance and the ability to respond to whatever comes your way. We are ready to question ourselves every single day, to keep moving forward, and, I hope, to bring home Dacia's first major trophy in the world of motorsport."

DAKAR RALLY 2026: ROUTE IN SHORT

The 48th Dakar Rally, and the seventh to be based in Saudi Arabia, consists of 4840 competitive kilometres and a total distance of 7994 kilometres divided between 13 stages. The event begins with the Prologue over a 23-kilometre timed route around Yanbu on January 3, which is used to determine the starting order for the opening stage. Stage 1 on January 4 starts and finishes in

Yanbu before the action heads north to Alula on January 5 and then east to Hail via the first of two Marathon stages. The format requires crews to overnight in remote camps with only limited resources available and no technical back-up from their teams. The competition is set to reach Hail on January 8 with the 920-kilometre Stage 6 – the rally's longest – following on January 9 ahead of the rest day in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. The race back to Yanbu begins on January 11 and takes in the Wadi Ad-Dawasir loop stage on January 12. At 481 kilometres, no timed section is longer on the event. The second Marathon stage begins on January 13 with the deciding Stage 13 starting and finishing in Yanbu on January 17. While ambient temperatures are expected to be between 11-21 degrees centigrade during the day, at night they likely to hover between zero and six degrees.

DAKAR RALLY 2025 REVISITED

Having set finishing the gruelling W2RC season opener as its key target, it was a case of mission accomplished for The Dacia Sandriders when two of its three entries crossed the finish line, a fine achievement for a new team contesting such a demanding event for the first time. As well as gaining vital experience along the 7828-kilometre route, The Dacia Sandriders savoured several notable highlights. They included a stage win for Nasser Al-Attiyah and Édouard Boulanger, four top-10 stage times from Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno, plus some impressive performances by Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin before their early exit due to accident damage. Al-Attiyah and Boulanger fought valiantly for the final podium place before settling for fourth in the overall ranking to underline the pace and potential of the Dacia Sandrider.

Their stage victory meant Al-Attiyah, who was second quickest three times, became the only driver in Dakar Rally history to clock a fastest stage time in 18 consecutive participations.

NAVIGATOR NOTES: ZENZ'S THREE-POINT PLAN FOR SUCCESS

The Dacia Sandriders' four navigators Édouard Boulanger, Fabian Lurquin, Pablo Moreno and Dennis Zenz will perform crucial roles on the Dakar Rally. Team newcomer Zenz has revealed his pre-event preparations.

“I put our preparation into three key parts. The first is the fitness part. We need to have very good strength in the core and in the neck because we have nothing to hold on to except our remote-control device, so this is a priority for us. It's also important to have good endurance because we have very long days, very demanding stages and we need to stay concentrated for a long time every day for two weeks. The second part is the route information we get from the organiser, which intentionally is not a lot. But we are now in the seventh year of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia so we have some data from the past that we can look into to see how difficult the terrain was, how difficult the navigation was. The third part, together with the team, is to work on the technical aspect to see what we can repair with the spare parts we have inside the car, how to fix things in case of emergency.”

KEY QUOTES

NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (QATAR), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS

“The Dacia Sandrider is a very good car, The Dacia Sandriders is a very strong team and I am sure we will have a very good result. Even though the Dakar is very difficult, I push to win again, this is my target. It's possible even though it won't be easy. We showed we had a really good pace on last year's Dakar, even though it was the first for the team, and we showed this pace all season, we just didn't always have the best luck. But we have much more experience now and we are really well prepared.”

CRISTINA GUTIÉRREZ (SPAIN), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS

“Last year I had some uncertainty about how things would go, but after seeing how we performed in the two races we've completed, I feel strong and highly motivated heading into the Dakar. I know we're capable of achieving a great result. Of course, much will depend on how the race unfolds and the strategy we develop together with the team, but I'm confident and ready to take on the challenge.”

SÉBASTIEN LOEB (FRANCE), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS

“The team has done a tremendous amount of work on the car since last year. Back then, we faced some issues with the radiators and cooling system because the car was still very new in its development phase. The overall performance was strong, but a few reliability problems held us back. These have now been solved thanks to the excellent work carried out by the whole team throughout the 2025 W2RC season. On top of that, we won Rallye du Maroc last October, the traditional dress rehearsal for the Dakar, so I'd say we couldn't be better prepared or more confident heading into this year's event. We know the Dakar is long and complex, with challenges every single day, but all indicators are green – and we're really looking forward to meeting up with the whole team over there.”

LUCAS MORAES (BRAZIL), DRIVER, THE DACIA SANDRIDERS

“Dakar Rally 2026 will be a new chapter for me. A new team, a new car and a new co-driver. What stays the same is the hunger to fight at the front. We know the challenge is huge, but that's exactly what motivates us. I can't wait to start this journey with Dacia and push for something truly special.”

THE DACIA SANDRIDERS DAKAR RALLY 2026 LINE-UP

#212: Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP)/Pablo Moreno (ESP)

#219: Sébastien Loeb (FRA)/Édouard Boulanger (FRA)

#223: Lucas Moraes (BRA)/Dennis Zenz (GER)

#299: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL)

DAKAR RALLY 2026 KEY INFORMATION

Starts: Yanbu, January 3

Finishes: Yanbu, January 17

Rest day: Riyadh, January 10

Stages: 13

Stage distance: 4840 kilometres

Total distance: 7994 kilometres

DAKAR RALLY 2026: THE BIG NUMBER

325: The four Dacia Sandriders are among 325 vehicles set to tackle the 2026 Dakar Rally. They will compete in the headlining Ultimate car category featuring 72 entries.