ALULA, Saudi Arabia — Title holder Daniel Sanders only had to wait for the second stage to regain control of the Dakar by winning the stage in Alula.
It was after a truly impressive rally raid performance alongside his teammate Edgar Canet that the Australian won his 10th stage on the Dakar Rally, becoming only the 22nd rider in the race’s history to achieve a double-digit score.
After his two successes in the prologue and the first stage, the young Spaniard from Red Bull Factory Racing was called upon to open the way, a task he performed for around 100 kilometers, before a minor fall without serious consequences allowed Sanders to catch up. At the end of the 400-kilometer special and after the bonus points awarded to the openers were taken into account, the gap between the two riders was 135” in favor of the Australian, who is also the new leader in the overall standings with a 30’’ lead.
Behind the two KTM riders, Ricky Brabec achieved the day’s 3rd best time and also remains 3rd in the general rankings, 2’18’’ behind the rally leader.
The gaps remain modest in the Top 5, completed by Tosha Schareina, 4’41’’ behind, and Ross Branch, 7’46’’ behind. However, Adrien Van Beveren is already trailing significantly by 14’09’’, in 10th place in the general rankings.
The competition in the Rally 2 class has undergone a minor revolution, with a Honda motorcycle winning for the first time in the class, in existence since 2022, ridden by Portuguese rider Martim Ventura, a newcomer to the Dakar. The Japanese brand joins a club that remains largely dominated by KTM (36 stages in R2), followed by Husqvarna (16) and Sherco (2). However, Ventura failed to take the lead in the overall category standings, where Michael Docherty reigns supreme with a lead of 19 seconds.
