Daniel Sanders wins the Dakar as a boss with KTM

Daniel Sanders may say that “it’s impossible to run the perfect race”however, that is the impression he leaves by sealing his very first final victory on the Dakar! By deciding to take matters into his own hands from the Prologue during the big start, the Australian led his boat in a remarkable manner and achieved a boss-sized feat: he was quite simply leader from start to finish. Unheard of since the success of Marc Coma in 2009.

Almost assured of winning, the Australian still had to make a little effort this Friday for the 12th stage, a short 61 km loop around Shubaytah. It was also necessary to manage the mass start, back for this 47th edition, certainly with intensity but, a priori, fewer opportunities to create final gaps.

Unsurprisingly, the 30-year-old driver definitively materialized the nine-minute advantage he still had yesterday evening over his closest pursuer. While Adrien van Beveren made a point of winning the last stage, ahead of Tobias Ebster by 42 seconds and Tosha Schareina by 54 seconds, the leader of the Dakar concluded the special calmly at 1’04.

Daniel Sanders also and above all offers a prestigious success to his manufacturer, KTM, which is going through a very delicate period. His management of the two weeks of racing speaks for itself, with no less than five stage victories and the feeling of having never let the slightest gap open for his opponents.

Never before on the podium, this time he is the big winner for his fifth participation in the largest rally-raid in the world. For KTM, this is the second victory in two years, and above all the 20th in the history of the event.

Second podium for Van Beveren

Behind the brilliant winner, the podium was also almost sealed since the day before and was confirmed, the two places of honor falling into the hands of the Honda team. Tosha Schareina confirmed his second place despite a sore body in recent days, enough to take his revenge on a 2024 edition which he had prematurely abandoned after winning the Prologue.

Third, Adrien van Beveren signs a result identical to that of last year. This second consecutive podium will be savored by the Frenchman who, even if he dreamed of victory, believes he did everything in his power. No regrets for the Northerner!

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