Winning a stage is usually a good thing. Usually.

In most cases, the only downside to winning a stage is having to be the first person on track the next day. In the Dakar Rally’s Rally2 class, winning a stage was more like putting a hex on you winning the overall.

Three riders—Michael Docherty, Neels Theric, and Martim Ventura—won the 14 legs in Rally2. Each of them had a major problem that took them out of overall contention.

Docherty, who was so good that he beat even the RallyGP riders for a stage victory last year, led all riders with nine stage wins. However, he was taken out of overall contention as early as Stage 3 when his wheel broke. It was one in many disasters for BAS World KTM during the first four stages. His teammates Jiří Brož, Mathieu Dovèze, and Brandon Krause all crashed out as well.

Theric scored two history-making stage victories for Kove Moto, who became the first Chinese manufacturer to win a stage at Dakar. Unfortunately, his Dakar ended with a terminal mechanical failure in Stage 11.

“We are a young brand, and each race represents a valuable source of data and lessons learned to continue progressing,” said Theric. “We have demonstrated that the bike is high-performing and that the rider can be fast. Now we just have to continue working with the same determination to achieve our goals.”

Ventura’s Dakar debut was a mix of those two. He also claimed two stage wins but was put in a hole after hitting a rock in Stage 4. Falling behind by over an hour, he was able to climb back up to third in the end but was still nowhere near Toni Mulec and Preston Campbell.

“I have a lot to improve,” Ventura offered. “I’m 100% sure that one day I’ll be on the top step, so I’m working on it every day and from now on.”

On the opposite end, Campbell inherited the overall lead after Docherty’s DNF with Mulec right behind. With so many of their teammates out of the picture so early, Mulec and Khaliunbold Erdenebileg were the last ones standing for BAS World while Campbell held down the fort for Monster Energy Honda HRC.

Although Campbell didn’t win any stages, he never finished worse than sixth the rest of the way so Mulec would have to beat him on time.

After playing catch-up for much of the rally, Mulec found his opportunity when he struggled in the second marathon’s dunes and fell multiple times. He took the lead by 2:27 after the marathon and started to put some distance between himself and Campbell, beating him in each of the last two days to secure the victory.

“I just tried to do my best every day,” Campbell stated. “Some days weren’t as good as the others, but I’m happy to be the top rookie and make it into the top ten overall. I’m super happy with that. I can’t thank the team enough and I look forward to the next one.”

After only winner Emanuel Gyenes scored a top ten in 2025, Benjamin Melot led a five-man effort of Malle Moto riders placing top 20. He and runner-up Josep Pedró both enjoyed top-ten runs.

Multiple riders were taken out by crashes and injuries like Guillaume Chollet, Tobias Ebster, and Ruy Barbosa. Bartłomiej Tabin broke the radius bone in his forearm, ending his race. While Ronald Venter didn’t wreck, he had recently undergone surgery and the lingering effects made his arm go numb so he opted to withdraw.

Shinya Fujiwara had a brutal maiden Dakar that saw him urinate blood in Stage 3 after a shot to the abdomen then break his collarbone two days later. Despite his injuries, he pressed on and reached the finish. Charlie Herbst also broke his ankle but fought on for a top 20.

At the finish, Fujiwara took the time to catch his breath but didn’t have anyone from home accompanying him. Saudi rider Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera decided to go over to celebrate with him, a moment that since went viral on Japanese and Saudi social media.

“It was an incredibly long journey,” Fujiwara began. “I was encouraged every day by the many messages of support I received from everyone. Although I went to the Dakar Rally alone from Japan, they made me feel like I wasn’t alone.

“This finish medal is the treasure of a lifetime.

“Thank you.”

Results

Finish	Overall	Number	Rider	Team	Total Time	Margin
1	9	16	Toni Mulec	BAS World KTM Racing Team	51:57:59	Leader
2	10	85	Preston Campbell #	Monster Energy Honda HRC Rally2	52:02:36	+ 4:37
3	11	84	Martim Ventura #	Monster Energy Honda HRC Rally2	53:35:14	+ 1:37:15
4	13	26	Konrad Dąbrowski	DUUST Rally Team	54:20:39	+ 2:22:40
5	15	28	Nerimantas Jucius	HT Rally Raid	54:36:02	+ 2:38:03
6	16	57	Khaliunbold Erdenebileg	BAS World KTM Racing Team	54:43:42	+ 2:45:43
7	17	35	Bruno Santos	BS Frutas Patrícia Pilar	55:23:15	+ 3:25:16
8	18	39	Benjamin Melot †	Esprit KTM	55:48:52	+ 3:50:53
9	19	44	Josep Pedró †	Pedregà Team	56:03:24	+ 4:05:25
10	20	27	Milan Engel	Orion – Moto Racing Group	56:04:22	+ 4:06:23
11	21	32	Tommaso Montanari	Solarys Racing	56:17:56	+ 4:19:57
12	22	25	Jérôme Martiny †	Jérôme Martiny	57:13:35	+ 5:15:36
13	23	58	Dovykas Karka	HT Rally Raid	57:36:18	+ 5:38:19
14	24	38	Jérôme Bas	Universal Ride	58:44:05	+ 6:46:06
15	25	34	Emanuel Gyenes †	Autonet Motorcycle Team	59:20:47	+ 7:22:48
16	26	148	Tomás de Gavardo	BAS World KTM Racing Team	59:50:01	+ 7:52:02
17	27	64	Alexandre Vaudan	Team Casteu Trophy	60:07:33	+ 8:09:34
18	28	99	Javi Vega †	Pont Grup	60:16:13	+ 8:18:14
19	29	79	Murun Purevdorj	Xraids Experience	60:42:11	+ 8:44:12
20	30	86	Charlie Herbst	Challenger Racing Team	60:48:48	+ 8:50:49
21	31	101	Maxi Schek †	Maxi Schek Motorsport	60:52:43	+ 8:54:44
22	33	49	Juan Santiago Rostan	Orion – Moto Racing Group	61:39:42	+ 9:41:43
23	34	120	Matthieu Cauvin	Nomade Racing	62:04:57	+ 10:06:58
24	35	45	Sunier	Kove Factory Racing	62:16:01	+ 10:18:02
25	36	36	David Pabiška †	SP Moto Bohemia	62:29:00	+ 10:31:01
26	37	93	Tiziano Internó †	Rally POV	63:29:19	+ 11:31:20
27	38	55	Florian Bancilhon †	Florian Bancilhon	63:38:01	+ 11:40:02
28	39	124	Andrea Gava †	Kove Italia	63:47:37	+ 11:49:38
29	40	18	Dušan Drdaj	Cajdašrot Team	64:32:37	+ 12:34:38
30	41	136	Ian Olthof	HT Rally Raid	64:56:15	+ 12:58:16
31	42	37	Leonardo Cola	Joyride Race Service	66:24:23	+ 14:26:24
32	43	80	Robbie Wallace	Xraids Experience	66:55:59	+ 14:50:00
33	44	81	Saulius Klevinskas	AG Rally Dubai / Alfa Fence	67:01:20	+ 15:03:21
34	45	107	Rafic Eid	RS Moto	67:06:28	+ 15:08:29
35	46	56	Zhang Min	Joyride Race Service	67:38:20	+ 15:40:21
36	47	130	Iñigo Zardoya	Joyride Race Service	67:40:26	+ 15:42:27
37	48	132	Carlos López Belloso	Pedregà Team	67:47:39	+ 15:49:40
38	49	33	Thomas Kongshøj	Thomas Kongshøj Racing / Challenger Racing Team	68:13:22	+ 16:15:23
39	50	53	Vasilis Boudros †	DNA Air Filters Racing Team / Enduro Greece Rally Team	68:43:15	+ 16:45:16
40	51	123	Filip Grot	BAS World KTM Racing Team	69:04:52	+ 17:06:53
41	52	137	Mathieu Troquier †	22 Tout Terrain	69:04:57	+ 17:06:58
42	53	61	Bertrand Domet	Team Casteu Trophy	69:31:36	+ 17:33:37
43	54	40	Zhao Hongyi	Joyride Race Service	69:37:24	+ 17:39:25
44	55	125	Shinya Fujiwara #	RS Moto	69:43:22	+ 17:45:23
45	56	135	Nathan Rafferty	BAS World KTM Racing Team	69:47:22	+ 17:49:23
46	57	63	Neil Hawker †	Team Ikuzawa	70:22:00	+ 18:24:01
47	58	71	Cesare Zacchetti †	Kove Italia	71:48:33	+ 19:50:34
48	59	138	Joan Guillén Turon	Pedregà Team	72:22:34	+ 20:24:35
49	60	121	Thibault Boucherot	Nomade Racing	73:00:25	+ 21:02:26
50	61	92	Christopher Jautard	Nomade Racing	73:22:36	+ 21:24:37
51	62	52	Antoine Detourbet †	Antoine Detourbet	74:01:11	+ 22:03:12
52	63	106	Mattia Riva	Solarys Racing	74:34:48	+ 22:36:49
53	64	60	Matthieu Jauffraud †	Jauffraud Racing Team	74:35:07	+ 22:37:08
54	65	114	Guillaume Chollet	Xraids Experience	75:37:04	+ 23:39:05
55	66	51	Rachid Al-Lal Lahadid †	Melilla Ciudad del Deporte	76:04:21	+ 24:06:22
56	67	134	Markus Hertlein	HT Rally Raid	76:04:49	+ 24:06:50
57	68	104	Rémy Moreau	Nomade Racing	76:28:02	+ 24:30:03
58	69	115	Mario Garrido	Pedregà Team	77:06:26	+ 25:08:27
59	70	76	Robert Przybyłowski	HT Rally Raid	77:34:26	+ 25:36:27
60	71	111	Ludwig Messager †	LB Racing	79:03:23	+ 27:05:24
61	72	109	Craig Searles	S2D Race Team	79:43:43	+ 27:45:44
62	73	110	Carl Searles	S2D Race Team	79:44:40	+ 27:46:41
63	74	129	Borja Pérez †	Melilla Ciudad del Deporte	79:49:51	+ 27:51:52
64	75	67	Dennis Mildenberger	Joyride Race Service	80:35:50	+ 28:37:51
65	76	87	Thierry Bethys †	TB Racing	80:51:22	+ 28:53:23
66	77	139	Romain Bouzigon †	Esprit KTM	81:59:20	+ 30:01:21
67	78	103	Gediminas Satkus	AG Rally Dubai	82:26:08	+ 30:28:09
68	79	88	Guillaume Jaunin	Nomade Racing	83:58:35	+ 32:00:36
69	80	105	Benjamin Pousset †	Live in a Rear Wheel	85:15:16	+ 33:17:17
70	81	70	Francisco Arredondo	BAS World KTM Racing Team	86:50:57	+ 34:52:58
71	82	95	Juan Carlos Torres	Motoclub Albacete	100:44:03	+ 48:46:04
72	83	102	David Brock	Joyride Race Service	101:06:47	+ 49:08:48
73	84	119	Fernando Domínguez †	Diputación de Cuenca	107:29:55	+ 55:31:56
74	85	74	Nuno Silva	Old Friends Rally Team	123:19:40	+ 71:21:41
75	86	24	Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera	Desert Storm	125:09:22	+ 73:11:23
76	87	29	Paolo Lucci	RS Moto	125:34:55	+ 73:36:56
77	88	14	Michael Docherty	BAS World KTM Racing Team	137:01:27	+ 85:03:28
78	89	108	Haoyu Shi	Hoto Factory Racing	141:37:42	+ 89:39:43
79	90	90	Simon Marčič †	Team Marčič	206:35:21	+ 154:37:22
DNF	DNF	20	Harith Noah	Sherco Rally Factory Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	30	Mathieu Dovèze	BAS World KTM Racing Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	41	Ruy Barbosa	HT Rally Raid	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	43	Luciano Gomes	Challenger Racing Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	47	Bartłomiej Tabin	Orion – Moto Racing Group	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	50	James Hillier †	Kove Official Customer Support	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	62	Martin Prokeš	Motoracing Krásné Pole	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	65	Guillaume Chollet	Xraids Experience	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	66	Neels Theric	Kove Factory Racing	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	72	Jiří Brož	BAS World KTM Racing Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	75	Brandon Krause	BAS World KTM Racing Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	78	Arnau Lledó	Pedregà Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	82	Jatin Jain	Desert Storm	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	83	Badr Al-Hamdan	Desert Storm	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	91	Edvard Sokolovski	AG Rally Dubai / Hiltus	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	94	Nicolas Horeaux	Nomade Racing	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	96	Tobias Ebster	Hero MotoSports Team Rally	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	116	Pedro Pinheiro	Old Friends Rally Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	117	Ricardo Lastra	Old Friends Rally Team	DNF	N/A
DNF	DNF	127	Ronald Venter	Nomade Racing	DNF	N/A
NC	NC	89	Ehab Al-Hakeem	Desert Storm	NC	N/A

Stage winners

Stage	Overall	Rider	Total Time
Prologue	6	Michael Docherty	11:50.1
Stage 1	9	Michael Docherty	3:25:09
Stage 2	6	Martim Ventura	4:17:30
Stage 3	10	Michael Docherty	4:39:33
Stage 4	10	Neels Theric	4:42:18
Stage 5	6	Neels Theric	4:14:33
Stage 6	7	Michael Docherty	3:51:06
Stage 7	6	Michael Docherty	4:08:34
Stage 8	9	Neels Theric	4:45:44
Stage 9	3	Michael Docherty	3:50:32
Stage 10	6	Michael Docherty	4:25:14
Stage 11	7	Martim Ventura	3:16:13
Stage 12	5	Michael Docherty	3:36:12
Stage 13	4	Michael Docherty	49:53

Featured image credit: Julien Delfosse / DPPI / ASO