Ford strikes back at Toyota in phenomenal Dakar Rally turnaround

Ford delivered a major statement of intent in Stage 3 of the 2026 Dakar Rally, as Mitch Guthrie Jr claimed his maiden Dakar stage victory in the cars category.

A day defined by complex navigation and costly errors for rivals saw Ford place all of its factory entries inside the top ten, capitalising fully on Toyota’s sudden loss of momentum.

After Toyota’s commanding display in Stage 2, Stage 3 proved to be a very different challenge. As pre-empted by top contender Nasser Al-Attiyah, navigation was the decisive factor on the demanding special, particularly for the early runners.

Toyota opener Seth Quintero endured a nightmare day. Tasked with setting the pace after his Stage 2 performance, the American struggled to read the terrain and lost close to an hour, immediately ending any hopes of repeating Toyota’s previous dominance.

His factory team-mates also failed to feature at the sharp end, leaving the door wide open for Ford.

Mattias Ekström, winner of the prologue, made a blistering start and led much of the stage, but from kilometre 303 onwards the initiative shifted decisively to team-mate Guthrie.

The 29-year-old American drove with confidence and precision through the latter half of the stage, while keeping experienced challengers at bay.

Guthrie still had work to do, with Martin Prokop and Dakar legend Carlos Sainz applying pressure behind him. However, the Ford driver remained composed and crossed the line two minutes and 30 seconds clear of Prokop, sealing his first-ever Dakar stage win in the Ultimate category.

General classification shaken up

Toyota salvaged some pride thanks to Guy Botterill. After losing significant time in Stage 2, the South African produced a strong late charge to finish third, preventing a complete Ford lock-out of the podium.

Dacia also showed encouraging pace. Lucas Moraes and Cristina Gutiérrez both delivered solid performances to claim fourth and fifth, respectively, narrowly keeping Nani Roma and Carlos Sainz outside the top five of Stage 3 in what was a tightly contested battle through the final kilometres.

The third stage also brought major changes to the overall standings. Al-Attiyah, who had started the day as rally leader, emerged as one of the biggest losers.

The Qatari driver encountered significant difficulties and dropped around 20 minutes, surrendering his advantage at the top of the classification.

Neither Toyota nor Sébastien Loeb’s Dacia could take full advantage due to their own setbacks, allowing Guthrie to move into the overall lead. Prokop now sits second, with Ekström third, completing a remarkable Ford one-two-three.

In fact, Ford occupies the entire top five positions in the general classification after Stage 3 — an extraordinary turnaround after Toyota’s earlier dominance and a clear signal that the battle for Dakar victory is wide open.

View the general classification below!