Luciano Benavides has emerged as a surprise leader after a standout performance, upsetting earlier expectations of a battle mainly between Daniel Sanders and Tosha Schareina, who had dominated the 2025 season. Once considered an outsider, the Argentine rider delivered a flawless ride on the longest stage of the rally, a demanding 483 km route, winning his third stage of the 2026 event and collecting all available time bonuses. This pushed him into the overall lead, 10 seconds ahead of his Australian teammate Sanders.
Despite Benavides’ rise, the overall standings remain very close. Sanders finished second on the stage and is still very much in contention. Riders from Monster Energy Honda HRC also remain a serious threat, with Ricky Brabec sitting third overall, less than five minutes behind, while Tosha Schareina holds fourth place and is still in the fight despite a larger time gap.
In Rally 2, Neels Theric claimed his third class win of the season after Mike Docherty lost time late in the stage, likely due to a crash. Although Preston Campbell continues to lead the Rally 2 standings, his advantage has been cut as Toni Mulec closed the gap to just over nine minutes.