Al-Attiyah and Brabec dominate penultimate stage to edge closer to Dakar Rally victories

YANBU, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and rider Ricky Brabec are set to win the Dakar Rally after dominating their closest pursuers in the Saudi desert on Friday.

Both of them won the 311-kilometer 12th and penultimate stage between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, the rally starting point on the Red Sea coast two weeks ago.

The second stage win for both in this Dakar gave them overall leads — extended in Al-Attiyah's case — that are ample enough to secure a sixth car title for Al-Attiyah and third motorbike crown for Brabec, barring major mishaps.

Al-Attiyah's Dacia was 16 minutes up on Nani Roma’s Ford and Brabec's Honda was three-plus minutes up on Luciano Benavides' KTM going into the 13th and final stage on Saturday, a 108-kilometer dash outside Yanbu.

Al-Attiyah didn't have to risk anything on Friday. He started with an overall lead of eight-plus minutes and improved it in the first 100 kilometers beyond 10 minutes. The masterful stage victory was the 50th of his career, tying the car record with Ari Vatanen and Stéphane Peterhansel.

“To win this stage and to have a good lead now is really amazing. We are so happy,” Al-Attiyah said. “You could lose everything today but we did a good job. Everything looks like it’s going very well.”

Roma started 11th in the stage and ahead of Al-Attiyah, and Romain Dumas waited 30 minutes to shadow his Spanish teammate to support him but Roma couldn't turn it into an advantage. He was eighth behind Al-Attiyah but arrived at the finish with a broken front axle.

To reach the bivouac on time and avoid time penalties, Dumas gave Roma his front axle. Roma then hit the road but ran out of petrol and got a tow from fellow racer Laia Sanz. Roma was one minute late and got only a one-minute penalty.

Mitch Guthrie's Ford was second, a minute back. Mattias Ekström’s Ford was third, opening the way from start to finish and overtaking Sébastien Loeb’s Dacia overall to grab third place by 29 seconds.

Brabec turned a 23-second deficit to overnight leader Benavides into a decisive overall lead of 3 minutes, 20 seconds.

Brabec set it up on Thursday to start the special from sixth on Friday, two places behind Benavides, with the benefit of gauging their relative progress and follow tracks without having to navigate.

He wiped out Benavides' overnight lead within the first 80 kilometers. Benavides chose to catch the stage pacesetters and took over opening the way after about 120 kilometers and collected time bonuses. But the effort to clear the way and slow down to stay on track played into Brabec’s hands.

Brabec should add this Dakar to his previous wins in 2020 and 2024 and become the seventh man to win at least three motorbike crowns. The record is six by Peterhansel from 1991-98 when the race was in Africa.

Benavides still believed he can win. His brother Kevin Benavides did it in 2023 but he trailed Toby Price by only 12 seconds.

“We keep the hope alive until the last kilometer,” Luciano said. “It's gonna be hard for sure.”

Brabec could almost taste the win.

“Tomorrow is supposed to be ‘easy’ they say, and if I open and do a good job I should get a minute and a half in bonus time,” he said. “We'll see.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Rider Luciano Benavides competes during the twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan.16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Rider Ricky Brabec competes during the twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan.16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete during the twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan.16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete during the twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan.16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Carlos Sainz and co-driver Lucas Cruz compete during the twelfth stage of the Dakar Rally between Al Henakiyah and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan.16, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay (AP) — The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries formally signed a long-sought landmark free trade agreement on Saturday, capping over a quarter-century of torturous negotiations to strengthen commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions around the world.

The signing ceremony in Paraguay’s humid capital of Asunción marks a major geopolitical victory for the EU in an age of American tariffs and surging Chinese exports, expanding the bloc’s foothold in a resource-rich region increasingly contested by Washington and Beijing.

It also sends a message that South America keeps diverse trade and diplomatic relations even as U.S. President Donald Trump declares dominance in the Western Hemisphere.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who head's the EU's executive branch, said that “the geopolitical importance of this agreement cannot be overstated” amid revived skepticism about the benefits of free trade.

“We choose fair trade over tariffs. We choose a productive long-term partnership over isolation,” she declared at the ceremony attended by the presidents of Mercosur members Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, and by the foreign minister of the trading bloc’s biggest economy, Brazil.

“We will join forces like never before, because we believe that this is the best way to make our people and our countries prosper.”

In creating one of the world’s largest free trade zones, the accord — pushed by South America's renowned cattle-raising countries and Europe's industrial sectors craving new markets for cars and machines — brings together a market of more than 700 million consumers that accounts for a quarter of global gross domestic product.

Uruguay's President Yamandu Orsi speaks during a meeting to sign a free trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur in Asuncion, Paraguay, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, left, greets Paraguay's President Santiago Pena during a meeting to sign a free trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur, in Asuncion, Paraguay, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz speaks during a meeting to sign a free trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur in Asuncion, Paraguay, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

Meeting to sign a free trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur in Asuncion, Paraguay, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)