The Dakar Rally, held in Saudi Arabia, begins on Saturday with a short prologue stage. After the prologue, the schedule features 13 stages across two weeks.
Loeb, 51, has never won Dakar. He has finished second three times, but now the Frenchman’s sights are firmly set on victory.
The nine-time World Rally Champion has competed with Dacia’s factory team since autumn 2024. A year ago, Loeb and Dacia saw their Dakar come to an early end on the third stage when the French veteran rolled his car heavily.
Loeb is confident that this time he could be the one to shine in Dakar. According to the rally legend, the team has significantly improved the car over the past year.
“Back then, we faced some issues with the radiators and cooling system because the car was still very new in its development phase,” Loeb said.
“The overall performance was strong, but a few reliability problems held us back. These have now been solved thanks to the excellent work carried out by the whole team throughout the 2025 W2RC season. On top of that, we won Rallye du Maroc last October, the traditional dress rehearsal for the Dakar.”
There are several other favourites for victory besides Loeb, but the Frenchman’s confidence is high.
“I’d say we couldn’t be better prepared or more confident heading into this year’s event. We know the Dakar is long and complex, with challenges every single day, but all indicators are green,” Loeb said.
Loeb will also face stiff competition from his team-mates Nasser Al-Attiyah and Lucas Moraes. Al-Attiyah is a five-time Dakar winner, while Moraes, who has joined Dacia for this season, finished third on his Dakar debut three years ago.
“The Dacia Sandrider is a very good car, The Dacia Sandriders is a very strong team and I am sure we will have a very good result. Even though the Dakar is very difficult, I push to win again, this is my target,” Al-Attiyah said.
“Dakar Rally 2026 will be a new chapter for me. A new team, a new car and a new co-driver. What stays the same is the hunger to fight at the front,” Moraes underlined.
