RIYADH, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Spain's Tosha Schareina of Monster Energy Honda HRC secured the team's first win of the 2026 Dakar Rally on Tuesday, winning Stage 3 around AlUla in the motorbike category, while American driver Mitch Guthrie claimed his first Ultimate-class stage victory and moved into the overall lead in cars.
Schareina clocked a winning time of 4:26:39, finishing 2 minutes and 17 seconds ahead of American rider Ricky Brabec, and 3 minutes and 28 seconds clear of defending champion Daniel Sanders.
Despite a third-place finish in the day, Sanders held on to the overall lead after being tasked with opening much of the 421-kilometer special. Brabec climbed to second overall, 1 minute and 7 seconds behind Sanders, while Schareina moved onto the provisional overall podium, 1 minute and 13 seconds off the lead. KTM rider Edgar Canet slipped to fourth overall, 8 minutes and 46 seconds adrift.
In Rally2, South Africa's Michael Docherty won the stage, with Portuguese rookie Martim Ventura sitting 3 minutes and 32 seconds behind him in the overall standings.
In the Ultimate car category, Guthrie won the stage in 4:04:32 in his Ford Raptor, beating Czech driver Martin Prokop by 2 minutes and 27 seconds, with South Africa's Guy Botterill third. Brazil's Lucas Moraes and Spain's Cristina Gutierrez rounded out the top five.
Guthrie's victory also lifted him to the top of the overall car standings on a day shaped by punctures for several rivals. Five Ford Raptors occupied the first five places overall, with Prokop 26 seconds behind, Mattias Ekstrom 1 minute and 8 seconds back, Carlos Sainz 3 minutes and 34 seconds adrift, and Nani Roma 4 minutes and 2 seconds behind. Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah dropped to 10th, 11 minutes and 39 seconds behind the leader. ■