Ford's Dominance at Dakar 2026: A New Leader Emerges! The third stage of the Dakar Rally 2026 saw a stunning performance by Ford, with Mitch Guthrie seizing the overall lead. After a challenging start to the week, Ford roared back to life, leaving rivals in their dust.
After a disappointing showing on Monday, where they didn't even crack the top 10, Ford's Raptors dominated Tuesday's 421km test around Al-Ula.
Mattias Ekstrom, a two-time DTM champion, set the early pace, demonstrating Ford's strength. Nani Roma briefly challenged for the lead.
Guthrie, however, had a slower start, initially outside the top 10. But he steadily closed the gap, overtaking Ekstrom for the lead. He then secured his first stage win in the Ultimate category by a significant 2 minutes and 27 seconds. Martin Prokop, driving a customer-run Raptor, finished second, making it a Ford 1-2.
Toyota's mixed fortunes continued. After an impressive 1-2-3-4-5 finish on Monday, most of their lineup struggled. Guy Botterill was the exception, finishing third.
With Dacia's star drivers, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Sebastien Loeb, losing considerable time, Lucas Moraes led the way for the Renault Group brand, finishing fourth. Cristina Gutierrez supported Moraes's performance, finishing fifth.
Roma finished sixth, while Carlos Sainz Sr. took seventh. Matthieu Serradori impressed with his Audi-powered Century CR7, finishing just behind Sainz, while Ekstrom finished ninth after a difficult end to the stage. Denis Krotov of M-Sport completed the top 10 for Ford.
But here's where it gets controversial... Toyota's factory team struggled, with Stage 2 winner Seth Quintero facing mechanical issues. Henk Lategan was the team's highest-placed driver in 19th. Al-Attiyah and Loeb also had a tough stage, losing over 20 minutes to the leaders.
This allowed Guthrie to jump from 14th to take the overall lead, 26 seconds ahead of Prokop. Ekstrom, Sainz, and Roma rounded out the top five for Ford.
Moraes is now the lead non-Ford driver in sixth, followed by Gutierrez and Serradori. Saood Variawa and Al-Attiyah complete the top 10.
Overall results after Stage 3:
- 1st: Mitch Guthrie (Ford) - 7h12m16s
- 2nd: Martin Prokop (Ford) - +26s
- 3rd: Mattias Ekstrom (Ford) - +1m08s
- 4th: Carlos Sainz Sr (Ford) - +3m34s
- 5th: Nani Roma (Ford) - +4m02s
- 6th: Lucas Moraes (Dacia) - +5m16s
- 7th: Cristina Gutierrez (Dacia) - +5m59s
- 8th: Mathieu Serradori (Century) - +9m06s
- 9th: Saood Variawa (Toyota) - +10m57s
- 10th: Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia) - +11m39s
And this is the part most people miss... The two-part marathon stage on Wednesday will be critical. Ford's strong performance has put them in a commanding position, but can they maintain it? Will Toyota make a comeback?
What do you think? Will Ford's dominance continue, or will other teams challenge for the lead? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
