Sunday's stage five saw Red
Bull KTM's Luciano Benavides
claim the stage win, closely
followed by Sanders in second
and Canet in third, with the three
teammates separated by just 10
seconds. The result saw Sanders
take the overall win by a com
-
fortable three minutes and 40
seconds.
In claiming victory at Rally-
Raid Portugal, Sanders claimed
the 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid
Championship title with one
round to spare.
"It's a dream come true to
win the World Championship,"
Sanders said. "You think about it
when you're a kid no matter what
sport you do, but I chose mo
-
torbikes, and it worked out well.
The race here has gone so well,
and the bike has been perfect, so
a massive thank you to the team
for all the hard work they put in.
It's very rare to have this sort
of consistency in a rally, as it's
often so unpredictable. But up to
now, we've put in a perfect sea
-
son, and we'll still be aiming to
carry that into Morocco. It's still
all sinking in, really. I'm happy
to get the World Championship
here in Portugal, and hopefully,
there's a lot more to come."
"We knew from the beginning
that today would be difficult to
take the win," the stage three
winner, Schareina, said after the
final stage. "We started three
minutes behind in the overall,
and with just 60 miles to race, it
was really difficult on the fast,
sandy tracks, and I tried as hard
as I could and came away with
second overall."
"It's been a fantastic week for
us," Canet said, after finishing
first in Rally2 and fifth overall.
"I'm super happy with the feel
-
ing on the bike and how I rode.
This final stage was perfect with
some rain overnight. The track
was grippy and suited the tire
we're using, so we were able
to push and come home with a
KTM 1-2-3 on the special. Daniel
has won the championship, and I
am leading Rally2, so it's been an
incredible event for the team."
VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P45
Monster Energy
Honda's Tosha
Schareina was a stage
winner and finished
second overall.
