Sanjay Takale’s 2026 Dakar Rally journey has come to an early end after his Toyota Land Cruiser HDJ100 suffered a mechanical issue in Stage 3. The 57-year-old was competing in the Dakar Classic category, and was even leading in the H3 group for intermediate average speed vehicles.

1. Takale was within the overall Dakar Classic top 20 when he retired
2. He won Stages 1 and 2 in the H3 group

Sanjay Takale retires from 2026 Dakar Classic

Last year, Takale made history as the very first Indian driver to complete the Dakar Rally, finishing P18 in the Dakar Classic category. He returned this year along with co-driver Maxime Raud, looking to further improve on that result, this time behind the wheel of a Land Cruiser HDJ100.

He kicked off his 2026 campaign on a strong note in the H3 group, finishing on top in the Prologue, as well as Stages 1 and 2. However, on Stage 3, his engine started leaking oil. Takale and Raud managed to complete the stage and reached the bivouac, but the damage could not be fixed in time for the next stage. Before his retirement, Takale was inside the overall Dakar Classic top 20 and was leading in the H3 group.

“This is a very tough way to end our Dakar,” Takale said. “We were in a strong position and leading the H3 class, but unfortunately the engine issue meant we could not continue. That’s the nature of Dakar; sometimes it tests the machine more than the driver. I’m happy of the way we performed in the opening stages and grateful to the entire team for their effort and support.”

Dakar Classic vs Dakar Rally: What’s different?

The Dakar Classic category is reserved for cars manufactured from 1986 to 2005, and they run on a separate route. The category is further divided into four groups; H1 for low average speed vehicles, H2 for moderate average speed, H3 for intermediate average speed and H4 for high average speed.

Unlike the regular Dakar categories, where the goal is to finish each stage with the fastest time, Dakar Classic follows a regularity rally format. The goal here is to complete each stage in a specified time and at a specified average speed. Participants also have to complete a number of tests along the route. 

First up, is the Regularity Test where competitors have to comply with the established average speed and stay close to the prescribed time. Navigation Tests require participants to validate waypoints while complying with a maximum allocated time. Then you have Dune Tests, where waypoints once again need to be validated, but this is only mandatory for the H2 and H3 groups. For the first time, organisers have also introduced a new Super Regularity Test combining the Regularity and Navigation tests.