Dakar 2025 - Daniel Sanders leads at halftime

Before the Dakar 2025, the interest in KTM's performance is naturally high: How well can the currently beleaguered manufacturer handle the situation? For now, the team from Mattighofen is participating with a reduced entourage, but the factory team remains well-equipped with top riders, and the slogan "Ready to Race" should, as always, not be an empty promise - KTM aims for victory in 2025, after losing to Honda the previous year. The Dakar 2025 begins with a relatively mild 29-kilometer prologue on January 3rd, to determine the starting positions for the first stage on January 4th, and KTM makes its mark right away. The Australian Daniel Sanders takes the lead - after all, the factory KTM rider already has several years of experience in rally racing. Second place goes to Ross Branch from Botswana on the Indian Hero, and sensationally, the 19-year-old Spaniard Edgar Canet, also on a factory KTM, takes third place.

The prologue naturally shouldn't reveal much about the endurance challenges, but it does provide a taste of the riders' strategies. Daniel Sanders, as the prologue winner, gets to choose his preferred starting position for the first stage and opts for the 23rd spot, aiming to work his way through the field from behind without having to lead the way. Navigating first is rarely advantageous at the Dakar. Sanders' strategy pays off, as he once again demonstrates his strong form in the first stage of the Dakar 2025 over 413 timed kilometers. As the stage winner, Daniel Sanders naturally takes the overall lead in the Dakar 2025, followed by American Ricky Brabec on the factory Honda and Ross Branch. German rider Sebastian Bühler on Hero, who had already worked his way into the top 10 on the first stage, unfortunately has to withdraw from the Dakar on the second day due to a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, Austrian Tobias Ebster (of course on KTM) is pleased with a 13th overall position.

For all those Dakar heroes who found the nearly 500 kilometers of the first stage too easy, Stage 2 presents an absolute monster stage over two days and 800 kilometers, where riders must camp with minimal equipment. But anyone who endures the hardships of a Dakar probably won't have much trouble going without lobster and caviar. Once again, it's Daniel Sanders who manages to win the two-day ordeal. The last time someone won three stages in a row was the Spaniard Joan Barreda on a Honda eight years ago! With this exceptional performance, he is also the only one from the top trio to show his class again—both Ricky Brabec, finishing ninth in the stage, and Ross Branch, finishing fifth, lose positions in the overall standings, while Daniel Sanders naturally continues to hold the first overall rank. Ross Branch at least secures a place in the top 3, while the American Skyler Howes on a Honda moves up to second place. The Austrian Tobias Ebster ranks an excellent 14th overall with his KTM.

Anyone thinking the Dakar 2025 would be a dull, predictable rally after Sanders' sweep of the first four days is quickly brought back to reality with the third stage. While the Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino on Sherco takes the stage win and storms into the top 10 in the standings, Daniel Sanders finishes this stage only in 21st place. Although the Australian makes no critical mistakes, he has to take the lead on this stage - this time, the riders behind can sneak up and take a few minutes off Sanders. Ricky Brabec finishes the weather-shortened route, reduced from almost 500 to just over 300 kilometers, in second place, with Skyler Howes in third. Nevertheless, Daniel Sanders manages to narrowly maintain his overall lead on the KTM ahead of Skyler Howes on Honda, with Ross Branch still holding third on his Hero.

Stage 4 of the Dakar 2025 is counted as its own stage, but like Stage 3, it spans two days, meaning riders can only assist themselves until the end of Stage 5. This effectively makes Stages 4 and 5 the second monster stage of the first half. Through the orange lens, Stage 4 is once again a resounding success! Just over 400 timed kilometers are on the program, and aside from pilots who are already far back in the standings pushing forward with a "nothing to lose" attitude, the top-ranked riders must also take care of their equipment. This doesn't stop Daniel Sanders from winding out his KTM in the last 30 kilometers and gaining over two minutes—another stage victory for the Australian! Second on the stage is the Spaniard Tosha Schareina on a Honda, who also surges to second place in the overall standings—albeit with a gap of over 13 minutes to Daniel Sanders. The third place in the overall classification seems to be secured by Ross Branch on a Hero. Tobias Ebster achieves his best result so far by finishing sixth on the stage with his KTM, moving up one spot in the overall standings to 13th place.

As mentioned earlier, the riders start from self-sufficient bivouacs for the 5th route, just like in the third monster stage, embarking on a stage rated over 428 kilometers. As the winner of the previous day, Daniel Sanders sets off first on his KTM, followed by Tosha Schareina on Honda and Jose Cornejo on Hero. Leading the pack takes its toll once again, with Sanders being overtaken in terms of time by many riders. However, as the first rider, he receives bonus times, as has been customary at the Dakar in recent years. This allows the Australian to gradually work his way forward, moving from 19th place at Checkpoints 1 and 2 to 9th at the third checkpoint, and even reaching 6th place at the fourth checkpoint. In the end, although he doesn't secure a top spot, the stage victory remains in-house, with Argentine Luciano Benavides clinching the win on his KTM, ahead of Frenchman Adrien van Beveren on Honda and Jose Cornejo on his Indian Hero. Sanders finishes only 12th but maintains the overall lead with a solid seven-minute advantage. Thus, at the halfway point of the Dakar 2025, Daniel Sanders remains in the lead on his KTM, while Tosha Schareina on Honda and Ross Branch on Hero secure the positions behind him, just like the previous day. The Dakar 2025 remains thrilling, with various setbacks and comebacks showing that the tide can turn at any moment - we will keep you updated!