Campbell clings to Rally2 lead as Ventura climbs onto Dakar podium
A fierce battle is shaping up in the Rally2 category as Preston Campbell held onto his lead following the conclusion of the second marathon stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally, while Martim Ventura moved up to third overall for Monster Energy Honda HRC.
After a night under the stars at the marathon camp, riders faced another punishing day in the Saudi sands, heading to Bisha, the “Town of Palms.” The 368 km special stage, dominated by sweeping white dunes, provided the perfect playground for sand specialists, but also a stern test of endurance and focus.
Campbell continued his consistent form and starting the day with a 17-minute cushion, he had to carefully manage both his pace and the punishing terrain. The endless dunes caught him out a few times, forcing him to remount and push on, but he luckily avoided any serious setbacks. Crossing the line 15 minutes behind Rally2 stage winner Michael Docherty, Campbell now holds a slim 3’23” lead in the overall standings. With just three stages remaining, he knows he must stay sharp to hold off a fast-charging Toni Mulec.
Ventura also enjoyed a strong day. After losing time yesterday due to an early navigation error, he mastered the road book today, carefully negotiating the soft dunes. Stopping to help a fallen rider along the way, he was credited with time for his assistance and finished just shy of the stage podium in fourth. His performance today was enough to move him into third overall.
The Monster Energy Honda HRC Rally2 riders now face a demanding Stage 11, covering 883 km on a wild route to Al Henakiyah in the Medina Province. As the rally heads north toward Yanbu, every second and every decision, will count in the race’s final days.
Ruben Faria
It was a tough day for the boys on their first Dakar. They’re here to learn and today was a real challenge - a marathon stage with gruelling kilometres on the sand dunes. Preston is still leading overall in Rally2, despite finishing sixth. It was another strong stage for him. Martim, in fourth, had to stop to assist a rider who had crashed. He lost a bit of time at the start, but after helping, he picked up the pace and finished in a good position. Let’s see how tomorrow goes, we’re one step closer to the finish in Yanbu.
Martim Ventura 84
The marathon stage has ended and I’m super happy to be in one piece, me and the bike. Yesterday, started pretty bad with a navigation mistake for myself at 40 km. It was a super good stage for me to push, it was hard pack, but I made a mistake and lost time before I realised it. Today was going good, super soft dunes, super difficult. I then had to help a rider that had crashed, I was the first to arrive so I was there with him for a bit. No question, I had to stop and help. I’m happy overall with how it has gone.
Preston Campbell 85
It was a long two days. Yesterday, it was quite high speed and had some dunes at the end. I got through the rocks, it was a little tricky navigation early yesterday and I did a pretty good job of getting through it. Today, was all dunes and really soft ones, so just had to push and do my best. I made it here and I think we’re in a good position to keep fighting for the next couple of days. Today, was pushing through the really soft white dunes and they weren’t so big, but really soft, so had to get off a couple of times and flip the bike around and make my way through there. I’m still enjoying it and having a great time out here.
Rally2 Result - Stage 10
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Docherty Michael | 14 | RSA | BAS World KTM Racing Team | KTM | 04:25:14 |
| 2 | Mulec Toni | 16 | SLO | BAS World KTM Racing Team | KTM | + 00:53 |
| 3 | Lucci Paolo | 29 | ITA | RSMOTO HRC Race Service | Honda | + 05:33 |
| 4 | Ventura Martim | 84 | POR | Honda HRC | Honda | + 10:21 |
| 5 | Dabrowski Konrad | 26 | POL | Duust Rally Team | KTM | + 11:10 |
| 6 | Campbell Preston | 85 | USA | Honda HRC | Honda | + 14:58 |
| 7 | Melot Benjamin | 39 | FRA | Team Esprit KTM | KTM | + 15:42 |
| 8 | Montanari Tommaso | 32 | ITA | Solarys Racing | Husqvarna | + 21:25 |
| 9 | Jucius Nerimantas | 28 | LTU | HT Rally Raid | Honda | + 21:57 |
| 10 | Karka Dovydas | 58 | LTU | HT Rally Raid | Honda | + 25:03 |
Rally2 Provisional Standings After Stage 10
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Campbell Preston | 85 | USA | Honda HRC | Honda | 44:03:28 |
| 2 | Mulec Toni | 16 | SLO | BAS World KTM Racing Team | KTM | + 03:23 |
| 3 | Ventura Martim | 84 | POR | Honda HRC | Honda | + 01:45:20 |
| 4 | Dabrowski Konrad | 26 | POL | Duust Rally Team | KTM | + 01:54:23 |
| 5 | Jucius Nerimantas | 28 | LTU | HT Rally Raid | Honda | + 02:02:32 |
| 6 | Erdenebileg Khaliunbold | 57 | MNG | BAS World KTM Racing Team | KTM | + 02:14:49 |
| 7 | Santos Bruno | 35 | POR | BS FRUTAS PATRICIA PILAR | Husqvarna | + 02:47:18 |
| 8 | Melot Benjamin | 39 | FRA | Team Esprit KTM | KTM | + 03:14:30 |
| 9 | Engel Milan | 21 | CZE | Moto Racing Group - MRG | KTM | + 03:18:30 |
| 10 | Pedró Josep | 44 | SPA | Pedrega Team | Husqvarna | + 03:28:09 |
Location Information
The greatest and toughest rally in the world, the Dakar’s history has been written in the heart of some of the world’s most stunning deserts and belongs to the world of the greatest sporting challenges of our time. Both a motor race and an orienteering challenge, the Dakar Rally pits… read more.
