Dakar 2025 - Daniel Sanders wins on KTM

The first half of the Dakar 2025 already offered countless spectacles and twists - the second half of the "toughest rally in the world" should not lag behind! And it doesn't, right from the 6th stage, the first after the rest day. The longest stage so far, with over 800 kilometers in total, a proud 600 of them timed, in a single day, was set to demand everything from the riders. However, two riders who were in the top 10 didn't make it that far - Ross Branch from Botswana crashes with his Hero so unfortunately that he cannot continue the race, and the South African Bradley Cox also crashes with his KTM, initially able to resume the race, but has to give up shortly thereafter.

Ricky Brabec has considerably more luck—or better yet, finesse—as he approaches the task much more cautiously. While the American isn't even in the top 10 at the first checkpoint, he steadily climbs from fifth place at the second checkpoint to third place by the fourth checkpoint. It then seems, over the last nearly 200 kilometers, that his compatriot Mason Klein on the Chinese Kove would bag the stage confidently. However, after Klein makes a small but significant mistake, Brabec manages to clinch the stage victory ahead of Frenchman Adrien van Beveren on Honda and Spaniard Jose Cornejo on Hero. The current overall leader, Australian Daniel Sanders on KTM, finishes only ninth in the sixth stage but extends his lead to nearly 12 minutes over his toughest competitor, Spaniard Tosha Schareina on Honda, and almost 20 minutes over van Beveren. Austrian Tobias Ebster on KTM secures a 12th place finish in the sixth stage, winning the Rally 2 class and advancing to 11th position in the overall standings.

Daniel Sanders' strategy from the previous day paid off fully for the 7th stage, which covered around 400 timed kilometers. Due to his 9th place finish in the 6th stage, the Australian was able to more or less work his way up from the back of the field, benefiting from the tracks left by the riders who started ahead of him. Once again, Honda rider Tosha Schareina was his biggest competitor in the race against the clock, as the Spaniard had started 15 minutes before Sanders. While the two engaged in an exciting long-distance duel over nearly 300 kilometers, it became clear in the final quarter that Sanders would win the 7th stage without a major mistake. Sanders kept his cool and secured his 5th stage win at the Dakar 2025 - the last time an Australian achieved this was Toby Price, also on a KTM, at the Dakar nine years ago! This extended Sanders' lead over Tosha Schareina to more than 15 minutes, and over Adrien van Beveren to over 26 minutes. The 7th stage also went well for the Austrian Tobias Ebster with his KTM - once again, he claimed the stage victory in the Rally 2 class and solidified his 11th place in the overall standings.

Even though we are tempted to report that Daniel Sanders is riding towards victory at the Dakar 2025 on his KTM, we dare not make such a prediction just yet - so much can happen in the final kilometers of a Dakar that the outcome can change several times. The best proof of this is the 8th stage, which, with nearly 500 timed kilometers featuring gravel, sand, and dunes, presents almost all the terrains that can occur at the Dakar 2025. Once again, it's the same scenario as in the previous stages, where Daniel Sanders and Tosha Schareina, leading the way, lose time due to the strenuous navigation but earn bonus times - which, in the end, only benefits Schareina. Because the stage victory is claimed by the Argentine Luciano Benavides on his KTM, ahead of Adrien van Beveren - both of whom wait for nearly half an hour to assist the Chilean Pablo Quintanilla, who has crashed with his Honda. Schareina finishes third, just under 2 minutes behind Benavides, while Sanders ends up 7th with almost seven minutes behind. In the overall standings, Sanders still leads by 11 minutes over Schareina and more than 21 minutes over van Beveren. From an orange perspective, it is also pleasing that Luciano Benavides breaks the Honda stronghold by securing 4th place in the overall classification, as behind him, Ricky Brabec and Skyler Howes are lurking on the Japanese machines. Meanwhile, Tobias Ebster leaves nothing to chance, sensationally moving up to 9th place overall on the 8th stage!

Even though no stage of the Dakar 2025 is a walk in the park, the 9th stage marks the final long test. Covering nearly 600 kilometers in total and 350 timed kilometers, riders aiming to climb up the standings must push hard, while those currently leading cannot afford to slack off and must maintain the high pace. The inherently challenging task of navigating first as a stage winner is handled brilliantly by Luciano Benavides on his KTM, as he secures this stage victory with the bonus times he receives as the lead rider. Adrien van Beveren on Honda takes second place, and the overall leader Daniel Sanders with his factory KTM comes in third. Instead of gaining time on Sanders in the overall standings, Honda rider Tosha Schareina, finishing seventh in the 9th stage, loses a few minutes and is now 15 minutes behind Sanders.

In the saying "brevity is the soul of wit," one shouldn't be misled by the mere 100 kilometers of the 10th stage! The ride through the "Empty Quarter" consistently challenges the riders with navigation difficulties, and even the smallest mistake can nullify any hard-earned lead. However, the top riders seem unfazed by this. Both Luciano Benavides, Adrien van Beveren, and Daniel Sanders start the stage with vigor, only to be outpaced by later starters who benefit from the tracks left by the first riders. In the end, South African Michael Docherty on a KTM claims victory, followed by Portuguese Rui Goncalves on his Sherco. Surprisingly, Tobias Ebster, a true hero from an Austrian perspective, finishes third on his Rally 2-KTM, securing a solid and impressive 9th place in the overall standings. At the top of the overall ranking, not much changes, which is pleasing from Daniel Sanders' perspective, as he maintains a comfortable lead of over 16 minutes ahead of Honda rider Tosha Schareina and more than 22 minutes ahead of Adrien van Beveren, also on a Honda.

The current runner-up in the overall standings, Tosha Schareina, seems determined to make things exciting with his Honda by clinching a stage victory in the 11th leg, thereby shaving off crucial minutes from Daniel Sanders' lead. This commitment is certainly commendable, but with only a very short test of just under 60 kilometers left on the final day, it seems like a futile effort on the penultimate stage. Nonetheless, it's impressive that Schareina managed to make up nearly 7 minutes on Sanders over the mere 150 competitive kilometers, especially in the final sprint. Luciano Benavides once again shows his strength by finishing second in the 11th stage, losing only about 30 seconds to Schareina, while Adrien van Beveren takes third place. In the overall standings, van Beveren remains in third place behind Sanders and Schareina, but with almost a 16-minute deficit to Sanders, his chances of winning the Dakar 2025 overall are even slimmer.

A victory foretold - I dare say that the perfectly strategizing Daniel Sanders could only have been derailed by a defect or crash. For KTM, it is, of course, an incredible satisfaction that after the dominant Honda victory at the Dakar 2024, the Oranges can strike back, with the Australian Daniel Sanders delivering an almost perfect rally. For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that the South African Michael Docherty, also on KTM, wins the last short stage, with Adrien van Beveren in second place and the highly motivated Tobias Ebster finishing third with the Rally 2-KTM - we will surely hear much more from this talent in the coming years! As expected, this last short stage has no impact on the overall standings, and thus Sanders wins the Dakar 2025 confidently with almost a 9-minute lead over Tosha Schareina, with the Frenchman Adrien van Beveren finishing third overall, already nearly 15 minutes behind.

In these challenging times for KTM, where the company leadership often has to justify the sometimes very expensive participation in races, it is certainly a balm for the soul that, alongside Daniel Sanders as the overall winner, Luciano Benavides also delivers a very good performance by finishing fourth. Moreover, Heinz Kinigadner's nephew, Tobias Ebster, secures second place in the Rally 2 class with his KTM, right behind the Spaniard Edgar Canet, also on a KTM, and achieves an impressive 9th place in the overall standings of the Dakar 2025. The discussions about whether an elaborate commitment to the Dakar 2026 is necessary for KTM, or if participation should be completely foregone to save costs, will certainly be held soon - but now the decision-makers at least have really good arguments for further participation!!!