Overview
- Benavides claimed his third stage victory of the rally and moved atop the general classification by 10 seconds over Daniel Sanders, with Ricky Brabec third at 4:47.
- Starting first, Benavides earned 7 minutes 28 seconds of opening-bonus time, which proved decisive in securing the stage and the overall lead.
- The motos leaderboard is tightly bunched as the event enters the no-assistance marathon phase, a segment that often reshapes the standings.
- Tosha Schareina rebounded to finish fourth on Stage 8 but sits fourth overall at 20:13 after a navigation error on Stage 7 hurt his podium hopes.
- One day earlier, the Benavides brothers made Dakar history when Luciano won Stage 7 in motos and Kevin took his first Challenger (T3) car-stage win on the same day.