Stage 11 Bisha → Al Henakiyah 🏆

The difficulty of this day’s stage does not lie in the terrain; the tracks on the route often allow for a brisk pace.

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Last updated on January 22, 2026 16:25 UTC

ℹ️ Stage info ℹ️

Stage 11 Bisha → Al Henakiyah

However, with the number of intersections, forks, and junctions, the atmosphere can quickly become labyrinthine.

Liaison > 536 km

Special > 346 km

Clarity and focus will be the best allies of those hoping to reach the Al Henakiyah bivouac unscathed. Especially since the total distance makes the stage gruelling.

📝 We keep Rolling; Another One-Two Finish and Third Straight Stage Win for Ales Loprais
📝

AL HENAKIYAH – Team De Rooy FPT’s already remarkable second week at the Dakar Rally got even better Thursday. The Dutch outfit notched its third straight one-two finish.

Ales Loprais grabbed his third stage win in a row, with Vaidotas Zala finishing runner-up for the third straight time. Both drivers are also sitting one-two in the truck standings. The Lithuanian still leads the overall classification, though his Czech teammate closed the gap by 2:31.

📝 #602 Instatrade Loprais Team de Rooy FPT 📝

“Three wins in a row, and I’m happy with that. We were gunning for more, but it just wasn’t in the cards,” Loprais said, referring to his bid to take over the overall lead. “We pushed as hard as we could. But then we got stuck in the dust behind the buggies. I’m pleased with how things shook out. We had one slow leak we managed to air back up.”

Ales Loprais

Jiri Stross

David Kripal

Pre-Race Jitters

There was some nail-biting before the start in Bisha when the crew spotted a problem on Loprais’s Red Dragon. But they had it squared away in no time. “I’m grateful we made it to the start line and came away with another stage win.”

📝 #604 Nørdis Team de Rooy FPT 📝

Zala watched his teammate gain ground but isn’t losing sleep over it with a 16:24 cushion. “So far, so good. We’re just taking it one day at a time,” he said at the bivouac in Al Henakiyah after a mammoth 882-kilometer stage. “We’re running out of real estate. It’s all about keeping it between the ditches.”

Vaidotas Žala

Paulo Fiuza

Max van Grol

Rocky Terrain

He took extra care through the rocky sections in today’s stage in his Iveco. He expects more of the same Friday. “I’m just trying to stay on my game.”

Leading the truck standings with only two days left does weigh on him a bit, he admitted. “But we feel like we’ve got a handle on things. It’s a cat-and-mouse game.”

He added: “I know Ales has to push to chip away at my lead. And we need to keep enough daylight between us without sticking our necks out. I can dial it back a little, but I’ve got to keep the gap healthy. So far, we’re right where we want to be.”