Monster Energy Honda HRC’s Tosha Schareina delivered a barnstorming performance to claim his first stage victory of this year’s Dakar Rally.
Stage three featured a demanding 421 km loop from the AlUla bivouac, where the action intensified across the region’s dramatic canyons. Riders faced a punishing mix of sand, rocks and gravel, combined with complex navigation – particularly on the plateaus, where recent rainfall had erased many visible tracks. Success hinged on maintaining speed while carefully following the road book across constantly changing terrain.
After a relatively subdued start to his Dakar campaign, Schareina produced a magnificent ride despite suffering a small crash. Remounting quickly, the Spaniard pushed hard aboard his Honda CRF450 RALLY and went on to secure a convincing victory, finishing more than two minutes ahead of Daniel Sanders. The win marked Schareina’s third career Dakar stage victory and notably came at AlUla, the same location as his first. He now moves onto the provisional podium in third overall, just 1’13” from the lead.
Brabec began the stage determined to capitalise on the bonus time available, knowing he would need to catch the two riders ahead. The two-time Dakar winner steadily reeled them in and launched a final push on the closing straight, with Schareina his main rival for the stage. Ultimately finishing second, Brabec’s flawless ride still earned valuable bonus seconds and helped secure a Honda one-two. He now sits just 1’07” behind Sanders in the overall standings, with Schareina a further five seconds back. With both teammates set to open the stage tomorrow, stage four promises to be pivotal.
Skyler Howes continued his run of consistency with a solid fifth-place finish, just four and a half minutes off the pace. Although hidden tracks made the latter part of the stage challenging, the American enjoyed the spectacular AlUla scenery and heads into stage four sixth overall, looking to climb further up the rankings.
Adrien Van Beveren finished eighth after a navigation error cost him valuable time. While his eleventh Dakar has not started as planned, the Frenchman remains focused on fighting back, something he has achieved in both of his previous Dakar podium campaigns after difficult first weeks.
The Monster Energy Honda HRC riders will now prepare for stage four, the first marathon stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally. With 451 km against the clock and no outside assistance allowed, the focus will be on balancing speed with mechanical sympathy. After reaching the marathon bivouac, riders will be responsible for maintaining their own machines before settling in for the night with only basic supplies – a true test of endurance as the rally enters a critical phase.
Ruben Faria – General Manager:
“It’s still early in this rally and it was a good stage for us, we are in a good position to push. It was a difficult, fast stage with canyons, difficult navigation and Tosha with his win has climbed up the overall standings to third. He is there to fight. Again, Ricky had a strong stage finishing in second. He feels confident, he didn’t crash and is really strong at the moment. Skyler rode well again to finish with and is getting more confidence day by day. I think by the end of this week he’ll be fighting in the top five with the others. Adrien didn’t feel too comfortable on this stage, but I believe he can do better tomorrow and be closer to the top riders.”
Ricky Brabec (9) – Stage: 2ND Overall: 2ND :
“I think we kind of started in a good spot, it was far enough back to make a good push. So far it looks good, I did the best job I could. My only goal was to try and catch Daniel and get bonus time because I knew he was going to get a lot of it today. I rode the best I could, had fun, caught Daniel and got some bonus credit. I’m looking forward to the next couple of days and tomorrow we have the marathon, so we will get some rest, get the bike prepared and get focused for the next week.”
Tosha Schareina (68) – Stage: 1ST Overall: 3RD
“It was not easy, there were many rocks again and the navigation was really, really tricky. The strategy today was to win and we did it. But it’s just the beginning. We will start tomorrow in front, so we will see. Always with the marathon we have to take care of the tyres, the bike and ourselves. I think I’m in a good position, I’ll try to open all day, that’s my goal.”
