Daniel Sanders put in a dominant performance on his factory KTM to claim a maiden victory in the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
In one of the most one-sided bike contests in recent history, Sanders led the bikes category from start to finish in the two-week marathon, outgunning Honda rival Tosha Schareina by a comfortable margin of 8m50s.
It marked the 20th victory for KTM in the world’s biggest cross-country rally, as well as the 21st for the wider Pierer Mobility Group following Sam Sunderland’s triumph on a GasGas-branded bike in 2022.
Sanders laid out a strong foundation for his victory by setting the fastest time in the first four days of competition, including a crushing display in the 48-hour Stage 2 that gave him a 12-minute buffer over his rivals.
There were some blips along the way, including a poor result on Stage 3 after opening the road and an eight-minute penalty in the fifth test for speeding in a demarcated zone. But the sanction was later overturned by the stewards due to a fault in the new-for-2025 digital notebook, leaving him comfortably out in front.
The Australian’s success was made easier by Honda duo Ricky Brabec and Skyler Howes dropping down the order on Stage 4 after both lost their way in the final 15km of the test. A major accident last year’s runner-up Ross Branch (Hero) at the start of the second week took out another major rival from the rally.
The victory was effectively sealed when Schareina crashed on Stage 9, injuring his collarbone in the process. Although the Spaniard was able to finish the rally and take victory in the penultimate stage on Thursday to close down the gap, the 30-year-old had no trouble keeping him at bay as he celebrated his first victory in Dakar after five attempts.
Adrien van Beveren made it two Honda riders on the podium after topping Stage 5, finishing just under six behind his younger team-mate Schareina.
KTM’s Luciano Benavides was rapid in the second week of Dakar, with back-to-back victories on Stages 8 and 9 helping him climb up to fourth place ahead of Honda duo Brabec and Howes.
Jose Ignacio Cornejo took over the mantle for Hero following Branch’s withdrawal on Monday, finishing a respectable seventh on his first outing with the Indian manufacturer after six years with Honda.
Edgar Canet was one of the revelations of the 2025 Dakar, the 19-year-old winning in the Rally2 class on his debut and finishing eighth overall.
The top 10 was rounded off by Tobias Ebster and Stefan Svitoko on customer KTM bikes.
