BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASO, KTM, HONDA
H
e's finally been given the
Red Bull KTM Factory
Racing seat he's wanted
for so long for Dakar 2025, round
one of the FIM World Rally-Raid
Championship series, and so far,
Daniel Sanders hasn't put a foot
wrong as he aims to become
the second Australian to win the
world's most prestigious rally.
The man from Victoria in
Australia's south has taken every
win on offer so far, triumphing
in the Prologue, Stage One and
the grueling, two-part 48 Hour
Chrono stage to hold a lead of
over 12 minutes as Cycle News
closed for today's publication.
Sanders signaled his inten
-
tions by taking a 12-second win
on the Prologue from current
W2RC Champion Ross Branch
and 19-year-old sensation Edgar
Canet on the second factory
KTM, Canet easily topping the
Rally 2 class as a result.
Sanders charged to the win on
Stage One, heading 2024 Dakar
Champion Ricky Brabec on the
factory Monster Energy Honda
by a shade over two minutes,
with Branch again in third.
The 48 Hour Chrono, in which
riders have no outside mechani
-
cal assistance and must sleep
in tents and eat tinned food the
old-fashioned Dakar way, saw
Sanders put the boot into his
rivals. The Aussie sprinted clear
to record a massive 7 minute
and 37 seconds stage win after
two days, giving him a substan
-
tial lead of 12 minutes and 36
seconds over the chasing pack.
ROUND 1 / JANUARY 3-17, 2025
BISHA TO SHUBAYTAH, SAUDI ARABIA
OFF-ROAD I FIM WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP / DAKAR RALLY
P44
CHUCKY CHARGES
AHEAD
