Dinaric Rally 2026: Rock, Dust and Genuine Rally Adventure

The Dinaric Rally 2026 was a week that tested rider and machine alike. From 22 to 28 August, the area around Knin in Croatia once again became an impressive rally arena. Around 160 participants from 23 countries took on the demanding terrain of the Dinaric Alps, on motorcycles, quads and in SSVs.

The prologue already showed what the riders could expect: fast gravel sections, demanding navigation, rocky climbs and a surface that could change completely within a few kilometres. The Dinaric Rally is not a race decided by top speed alone. Concentration, a clean line and the ability to keep making the right decisions after many hours in the saddle are what count.

A Rally with Many Faces

The longest stage covered around 425 kilometres through the Krbava region. Later, the special stage around Kotari proved surprisingly grippy, fast and flowing after heavy rain. Velebit, by contrast, offered a much more technical track: loose stones, hidden boulders and a demanding climb asked everything of the riders.

The second special stage also had to be cancelled after an accident. The sporting story of the Dinaric Rally 2026 was then continued with great mutual respect and full concentration on the remaining stages.

From the Romaniacs to the Dinaric Alps

For Maxi Schek and Manolito “Mano” Welink, the extreme world of international off-road racing was by no means new. Both took part in the 2026 Red Bull Romaniacs in Romania before lining up at the Dinaric Rally a few weeks later.

In the Carpathians they faced steep forest climbs, roots, rocks, mud and technically difficult descents. The Red Bull Romaniacs are among the most demanding off-road events in the world and ask everything of participants, physically and mentally, over several days of racing.

Maxi Schek competed at the Romaniacs on a BMW R 12 G/S in the Adventure Core class. On the heavy twin-cylinder bike he made his way through terrain in which even considerably lighter sport enduros reach their limits. Maxi finished the event in a strong fourth place in his class.

Mano also took on the extreme challenges of the Red Bull Romaniacs in 2026. The experience gained there with difficult terrain, long race days and high physical strain formed a valuable foundation for the start at the Dinaric Rally that followed.

Hard enduro and rally raid differ considerably, yet both disciplines demand stamina, precise vehicle control and the ability to stay calm under heavy strain. While the Romaniacs focus on extreme technical sections, the Dinaric Rally adds long distances, higher speeds and roadbook navigation.

Maxi Schek Rides the BMW F 900 GS to Overall Victory

From a German perspective, Maxi Schek stood out at the Dinaric Rally. With start number 69 and his BMW F 900 GS, he took the lead of an international field. He impressed not only with speed but above all with consistency and a remarkably controlled riding style.

The BMW F 900 GS presented Maxi with a particular challenge. Compared with the lighter rally bikes, he had to move the greater weight of his twin-cylinder machine over gravel, stones and technically difficult sections. At the same time, he was able to use the BMW’s strengths effectively on the fast, flowing parts.

Before the final stage, the leaders were close together. Over the closing 250 kilometres, Maxi therefore had to work with concentration once more. Conditions were hot, dusty and in places very loose. A small navigation error or a poor choice of line could have changed the result at any moment.

But Maxi withstood the pressure. After five days of racing, he won the Dinaric Rally 2026 with a total time of 23:10:50.250 hours. His margin over runner-up Piotr Michalak was just 4:47 minutes. Ciaran Cottle completed the overall podium.

The overall win was also a strong statement for the BMW F 900 GS rally project. Winning against the lighter rally bikes with a comparatively heavy twin-cylinder machine underlines Maxi’s exceptional riding performance and the quality of the technical preparation.

Daniel Wagenpfeil: Rally Debut with Great Prospects

For Daniel Wagenpfeil, the Dinaric Rally 2026 was a first: it was his first rally. The German rider started on a KTM in the M3 class for Wiedemann Motorsports. He thus entered new sporting territory, but already brought extensive experience from another particularly demanding off-road discipline.

Daniel comes from motocross and sand racing. As the only German rider, he contested the FIM Sand Races World Championship, competing against some of the best sand specialists in the world. The races run over deep sand tracks and beaches, where high speeds, extreme physical strain and constantly changing ruts come together.

In the 2025 season, Daniel completed the entire Sand World Championship. With starts in France, Argentina, Italy and Portugal, among others, he gained international experience and finished the championship 15th overall. In 2024 he had already scored world championship points with several strong results.

The switch to rallying nevertheless demanded a lot of new skills from him. Unlike in motocross or sand racing, a rally is not just about speed and fitness. Roadbook navigation, pacing his energy and responsibility for the motorcycle over several long days play an equally important role.

At his first rally, Daniel was able to get to know exactly these routines. Every stage brought new experiences: from reading the roadbook and making quick navigation decisions to dealing with long liaison sections and daily life in the bivouac.

The Dinaric Rally is meant to be not the end but the beginning of a long-term project. Together with experienced Dakar rider Mike Wiedemann and Wiedemann Motorsports, Daniel is already setting his sights on a big goal: possible participation in the Dakar Rally 2028.

A demanding road still lies ahead of him until then. Further rallies, navigation training, international racing experience and the necessary sporting qualification are part of it, as are technical and financial preparation. With his experience from the Sand World Championship, his perseverance and the support of Mike Wiedemann, however, Daniel has a strong foundation for this undertaking.

Mano Welink and Reini Reinfelder in the Thick of It

But a rally is not shaped by the overall winner alone. Manolito “Mano” Welink and Reini Reinfelder were also among the well-known German faces of this rally week. They stood for exactly that mix of commitment, enthusiasm and togetherness that could be felt everywhere in the Knin paddock.

On a multi-day rally, far more than pure riding time counts. Motorcycles have to be checked daily, roadbooks prepared and physical reserves carefully managed. Add early starts, long liaison sections and the mental strain of navigation that forgives no lapse in attention.

For Mano, the Dinaric Rally came only a few weeks after his participation in the Red Bull Romaniacs. The switch from technical hard enduro to fast, navigation-intensive rally raid showed his versatility as an off-road rider.

Reini Reinfelder also faced the long days and varied terrain of the Dinaric Alps. Together with Daniel Wagenpfeil, the riders showed what else this sport is about: accepting challenges, gathering experience and standing ready at the start again even after a difficult day.

Wiedemann Motorsports as a Shared Point of Contact

With Wiedemann Motorsports, several riders had a team at their side that brought together experience from different areas of off-road sport. Team founder Mike Wiedemann knows the particular demands of major rallies from his own experience. He has competed in the Dakar Rally several times and knows what sporting, technical and mental preparation such a project requires.

At the Dinaric Rally, Reini Reinfelder and Mano Welink, as well as Daniel Wagenpfeil, were part of the Wiedemann Motorsports set-up. In the bivouac this meant not only technical service but also an exchange of experience, support and mutual motivation.

For a rally newcomer like Daniel in particular, this environment was especially valuable. The Dinaric Rally thus became a first important step on a path that, together with Mike Wiedemann, could lead him to the Dakar 2028.

More Than a Race

In the paddock, the special side of rally raid sport showed every evening. While the bikes were being worked on and the next day prepared, the riders swapped stories, lines and navigation mistakes. Competitors on the course became helpers, advisers and friends in the bivouac.

It is precisely this combination of sporting competition and community that makes the Dinaric Rally special. The event offers no artificially created backdrop. The rugged mountains, the dust, the heat and the long days are real, as are the exhaustion and the joy when rider and motorcycle reach the finish together in the evening.

A rally raid is therefore not told through the results list alone. Behind every finish lie countless hours of preparation, technical work, physical training and the will to keep going even in difficult moments.

A Fitting Finish in Knin

With the last stage, an intense week in the Dinaric Alps came to an end. For Maxi Schek, the overall win on the BMW F 900 GS made it a special sporting success. Mano Welink and Reini Reinfelder also took on the demanding stages, while Daniel Wagenpfeil gathered important experience for his sporting future at his first rally.

The Dinaric Rally 2026 has once again shown that rally raid means far more than fast motorcycles and timed stages. It is about orientation, perseverance and the willingness to embrace an adventure whose course can never be fully planned.

For Maxi, the week ended with the overall win. For Daniel, it may one day be seen, in hindsight, as the beginning of his path to the Dakar Rally. And for everyone involved, what remains are dusty motorcycles, tired faces and memories that last far longer than any results list.

Further Information

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