Ford Dominates Dakar 2026 Prologue: A Stunning Start with One-Two Finish
In a thrilling kickoff to the much-anticipated Dakar 2026, Ford has made a jaw-dropping statement by clinching the top two spots in the prologue, setting the stage for an exhilarating competition ahead. After two intense days of documentation and scrutineering, the action began with a challenging 22km prologue that would ultimately dictate the road order for the critical first stage on Sunday.
Mattias Ekstrom and Emil Bergkvist emerged victorious, clocking an impressive time of 10 minutes and 48.7 seconds. Their performance not only showcased Ford’s engineering prowess but also left the competition trailing, with American duo Mitch Kuthrie and Kellon Walsch coming in a mere eight seconds behind. Ekstrom expressed his excitement, stating, “I had a very good prologue; it was much more difficult than I expected with navigation and stones. If someone goes quicker now, I can only say well done because we cannot go quicker than this; that was the maximum for us.” He heaped praise on the car, noting its agility and superb suspension, declaring, “There are no excuses for the car or the team; it’s up to me and Emil to drive as quick as we can.”
As expected in such a tight race, close margins were the order of the day. Notably, Belgian duo Guillaume de Mevius and Mathieu Baumel secured third place in their X-Raid Mini, while five-time Dakar champion Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Fabian Lurquin in the Dacia Sandrider followed closely behind to take fourth. The competition was fierce; Seth Quintero and Andre Short led the Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC contingent in fifth place, with defending champion Yazeed Al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk right on their heels in sixth.
Adding to the excitement, Eryk Goczal and Szymon Gospodarczyk made a memorable debut in the FIA T1+ Ultimate category, finishing seventh in their Toyota Hilux and outperforming legendary driver Carlos Sainz Sr. and navigator Lucas Cruz, who barely edged out Mathieu Serradori and Loic Minaudier in their factory Century Racing CR7.
However, it was not all smooth sailing for everyone. Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings, one of the pre-race favorites and last year’s runners-up, faced an unexpected setback, suffering a puncture that left them in a disappointing 47th position. Lategan lamented, “It was a bit of a disaster for us… we wanted to have a good prologue to start off with, and this was a bit of a disaster.” The team is now looking to regroup and strategize for the challenges ahead, possibly even opening the road in the next stage.
In a surprising twist, nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb found himself caught in Lategan’s dust, finishing 17th instead of positioning himself among the top fifteen contenders for stage one.
On the motorcycle front, 20-year-old Edgar Canet made history by winning his first special in his RallyGP debut, becoming the youngest motorbike stage winner in Dakar history. Canet triumphed over teammate Daniel Sanders and Honda rival Ricky Brabec, finishing just three seconds ahead of Sanders and five seconds clear of Brabec.
As the competitors gear up for Sunday’s first stage—a grueling 518 km loop from Yanbu featuring 305 km of timed racing—the atmosphere is electric. A staggering 433 vehicles, including 72 FIA T1+ Ultimate machines, are ready to tackle the challenges that lie ahead. With the prologue setting a dramatic tone, fans and participants alike are left on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating what promises to be an unforgettable Dakar rally.
