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Issue #13:January 16, 2026
The 2026 Dakar Rally has now entered its final stretch. On January 15, Stage 11 took competitors north from Bisha in southwestern Saudi Arabia to Al Henakiyah in the central-west region, covering 346 km of competition. The SS (competition section) course consisted mainly of high‑speed gravel and sandy terrain. With poor visibility due to thick dust, crew had to exercise extreme caution to avoid rock punctures and navigational errors.
TLC once again tackled the stage with a composed yet bold driving style. Car #503, driven by Ronald Basso with Julien Menard, finished 119th overall in the 4‑wheel category and 4th in the Stock class. Supporting #503 from behind, car #501 with Akira Miura and Jean‑Michel Polato finished 121st overall and 5th in class.
With these results, the cumulative rankings are as follows: Car #503 now sits 82nd overall in the 4‑wheel rankings and maintains 3rd place in the Stock class, although the time gap to the second‑place Defender #504 has widened by 12 minutes 56 seconds to a total of 2 hours 1 minute 42 seconds. Car #501 is now 130th overall and 5th in class.
The day’s SS ran alongside sections of the assistance route heading north toward Al Henakiyah. After a 328 km liaison (transfer section) from Bisha, the stage began in hilly terrain and gravel pistes. From the middle of the stage onward, wadis (dry riverbeds) and even chotts (salt flats) made an appearance. At the end, teams had to get through rocky terrain to reach the finish, making this stage one with a wide variety of surfaces.
Both TLC cars continued in formation, with car #501 following behind #503 in case of mechanical trouble. However, their starting order placed them behind the trucks, so visibility was severely affected by thick dust clouds, turning the stage into a test of patience, limiting their ability to pick up the pace. As a result of the poor visibility, car #503 suffered four punctures from sharp rocks, but was able to receive a fresh supply of tires at the service point around the 190 km mark. They continued on without any further incidents.
After completing the SS, the crews merged back onto the assistance route and traveled an additional 208 km by liaison (transfer section) to Al Henakiyah. With a total distance of 882 km, it was a long and demanding day for the crews. TLC’s rally cars had left Bisha around 8:00 AM and did not arrive at the bivouac until around 7:00 PM.
On January 16, the rally will move toward Yanbu, the location of this year’s start and finish, with 311 km of competition scheduled en route.
(Provisional rankings and times as of 4:00 AM Japan time on January 16th)
Miura (Driver): Today, the dust was the worst it has been so far. Unless we moved off the main line to avoid the dust, we couldn’t pick up the pace. Some of the ruts were also deeply dug out by the trucks ahead. The starting order for this stage had a major impact on us.
Basso (Driver): Yesterday’s steering trouble has been resolved, so we had a comfortable run. I think the time we lost to our rivals today was partly due to the starting order. Only two days remain. It may be difficult to improve our ranking at this point, but I want to make it to the finish with a clean run.