WIND
IN THE
P34
Daniel Sanders
(center) has been
on a roll of late with
his third straight
rally win, this time
in Abu Dhabi.
Sanders Triumphs in Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
R
ed Bull KTM's Daniel Sanders
secured his second rally victory
of 2025 with a commanding win at
the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
Heading into the final day
of Stage Five, Sanders held a
7:23-second lead over Honda's
Ricky Brabec, starting from
fourth place. Meanwhile, Tosha
Schareina (Honda), who had
been in close contention for the
overall lead, endured a disastrous
penultimate stage, losing over 10
minutes after opening the route.
Faced with the same challenge
on the final day, Australian rider
Sanders managed his race expertly,
limiting his time loss to Brabec to
just 1:36 seconds and clinching the
overall victory with a 5:47-second
margin. Schareina fought back,
winning the final stage and nar
-
rowly overtaking KTM's Luciano
Benavides to claim the final podium
spot. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda)
followed next from Nacho Cornejo
(Hero) and the final factory Honda
of Skyler Howes.
"This is a huge victory for me,
especially after missing out on
the win here last time on the final
day—that was tough," Sanders
said. "I felt great all week, and
winning three races in a row now
is just incredible. I'm loving the
ride; my KTM is performing flaw
-
lessly, and I can't thank the team
enough for all their hard work."
The last rider to achieve the Da
-
kar/ADDC double was Sam Sun-
derland in 2022—a season where
he went on to claim the world
championship. Sanders now leads
the 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid
Championship standings by 17
points over Schareina, with Brabec
sitting third, 26 points behind.
"The final stage was all-out,
just full gas," Brabec said. "I'm
happy to be at the finish and ex
-
cited for the next round. I broke
my leg in October, so I wasn't at
100 percent for the Dakar Rally,
but I've been working on my knee
since then, and my leg is feeling
a lot stronger now."
This victory marks Sanders'
second win of the 2025 W2RC
season and his third consecutive
rally triumph, following his suc
-
cesses at the Rallye du Maroc
last October and the Dakar Rally
in January. It also serves as re
-
demption for his narrow loss in
Abu Dhabi two years ago.
CN
Rally GP (Top 5)
1. Daniel Sanders (KTM)
2. Ricky Brabec (Hon)
3. Tosha Schareina (Hon)
4. Luciano Benavides (KTM)
5. Adrien Van Beveren (Hon)
