The Dacia Sandriders will take on motorsport’s ultimate adventure and toughest test for the second time when it takes on the Dakar Rally from 3 – 17 January 2026.
Following a successful season last year, Dacia, the brand with outdoor spirit, registered a stage win on its Dakar Rally debut, plus two victories across the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).
Since its inception, the Dakar Rally has pushed drivers, navigators and vehicles to the limit in an unrivalled contest of reliability, endurance and skill over some of the world’s most challenging terrain.
It’s the perfect setting for Dacia to credibly live its brand values and participate in Dakar’s philosophy of an adventure built for those who grab life with both hands, those who look for a real challenge, that are determined, passionate and love the great outdoors and those driven by desire to feel alive like never before.
The Dacia Sandriders returns to Saudi Arabia with a four-strong line-up, aiming for further success on the opening round of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.
For two weeks, the team will battle against the clock over sand dunes, rugged narrow tracks and rocky passes as it aims to begin its W2RC title challenge on a high.
Taking on the ultra-demanding 7,994-kilometre route from the Red Sea port city of Yanbu and back again are four of the sport’s most formidable driver and navigator pairings.
With 21 starts and five Dakar Rally victories to his name, Nasser Al-Attiyah brings remarkable performance and pedigree to the team. A three-time winner of the W2RC title and runner-up in last season’s standings, the Qatari, 55, is partnered with Belgian navigator Fabian Lurqin.
Praised for providing the ultimate supporting role to their team-mates during the 2025 Dakar Rally, Spaniards Cristina Gutiérrez and Pablo Moreno are back once again, determined to let their driving and navigating do the talking. They aim to build on the potential they have 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 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 is defending FIA World Rally-Raid champion Lucas Moraes from Brazil and his new German navigator, Dennis Zenz. Moraes achieved a 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.
“OUR OBJECTIVE IS CLEAR – WE WANT TO WIN.”
While expectations are high, Tiphanie Isnard, Team Principal of The Dacia Sandriders, is fully aware of the intense challenge in store. She said: “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 everyone involved.”
She added: “We approach the Dakar Rally with determination and ambition. Our objective is clear: we want to win. To give ourselves every chance, we’ve built a line-up and assembled crews operating at the highest level of performance and expertise, with great consistency and calm inside the cockpits to take on such an extraordinary human challenge. The team is ready. Everyone has given so much – dedication, determination, countless hours of work – to ensure we arrive fully prepared for what lies ahead.”
The Dacia Sandrider is now at technical maturity, having shown strong performance on every type of terrain, from dunes to fast tracks.
Tiphanie continued: “We are equipped to face the race, but we approach it with humility. The Dakar always has another side. Unexpected challenges, surprises and setbacks, and that’s why we love this event. It demands constant endurance and the ability to respond to whatever comes. We are ready to question ourselves every single day, to keep moving forward, and, I hope, bring home the win!”
THE DACIA SANDRIDERS DAKAR RALLY 2026 LINE-UP
#212: Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP) / Pablo Moreno (ESP)
#219: Sébastien Loeb (FRA) / Édouard Boulanger (FRA)
#223: Lucas Moreas (BRA) / Dennis Zenz (GER)
#299: Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Fabian Lurquin (BEL)
THE DAKAR RALLY 2026: KEY INFORMATION
Starts: Yabu, 3 January | Finishes: Yanbu, 17 January
Stages: 13
Stage distance: 4,840 kilometres | Total distance: 7,994 kilometres
THE 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.
