This Wednesday, January 8, Daniel Sanders (KTM) recorded his 4ᵉ victory on this Dakar 2025. During this 4ᵉ 415 km stage between Al Henakiyah and Al Ula, the Australian consolidated his position as overall leader, although the tactics adopted by Tosha Schareina (Honda) added a certain nuance to his success.
Dakar Rally: Sanders on the ropes, Brabec affected, but not resigned...
Daniel Sanders showed that he's as good at attacking as he is at managing. At kilometre 383, he was 2'33" behind Tosha Schareina, before turning the situation around in the final kilometers. The result: a win by just 15 seconds over the Spanish rider. But the strategist deliberately slowed the pace so as not to have to open the road on the next stage: "In the end, I lost two minutes so as not to have to open the road tomorrow
Further back, defending champion Ricky Brabec (Honda) had a frustrating day. After leading the stage for much of the way, he made a costly mistake with 15 km to go, losing precious minutes. "I opened up most of the stage, but lost everything at the end. If you want to win the Dakar, never be the first," he declared, half-fig, half-reward. Schareina seems to have heard him...
Dakar 2025 Motorcycle standings: 4ᵉ stage / 14
Thanks to this victory, Sanders extends his lead at the top of the overall standings, increasing his gap to 13'26'' over his rival of the day. Ross Branch (Hero) completes the provisional podium, 26'10'' behind the leader.
1. Daniel Sanders (AUS / Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 25 h 15'33''
2. Tosha Schareina (ESP / Monster Energy Honda HRC) at 13'26''
3. Ross Branch (BWA / Hero Motosports Team Rally) at 26'10''
4. Skyler Howes (USA / Monster Energy Honda HRC) at 27'01''
5. Ricky Brabec (USA / Monster Energy Honda HRC) at 29'13''
6. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA / Monster Energy Honda HRC) at 29'26''
Finishing 4ᵉ of the stage, on the doorstep of the podium, Adrien Van Beveren (Honda), remains the leading Frenchman, all categories combined. "I've rarely experienced such complex navigation stages, it was an endless labyrinth [...] But it was a very beautiful stage, we had to be sure not to damage the bike", he confided. AVB nonetheless clawed back two places in the overall standings, now in 6ᵉ position, but 29'26'' behind Sanders (already, although we prefer to see the glass as half full).
The desert's big enough for two or is it? #Dakar2025 @dakar pic.twitter.com/KnhsAwbBea
Red Bull Motorsports (@redbullmotors) January 8, 2025
Dakar Autos: Al-Attiyah in trouble, Lategan solid
On the car side, it's clearly not a good time to be a favorite in this Dakar (formerly ParisDakar). Nasser Al-Attiyah, five-time winner of the Dakar, had a black day with several mechanical incidents, relegating him to more than 33 minutes behind stage winner Yazeed Al-Rahji. The latter is now 6'54'' behind overall leader Henk Lategan.
Dakar 2025 Car classification: 4ᵉ stage / 14
Like Adrien Van Beveren in the two-wheeler category, Serradori moves up two places in the overall standings.
1. Henk Lategan (RSA) / Brett Cummings (RSA) - Toyota Gazoo Racing - 23h36m24s
2. Yazeed Al Rajhi (KSA) / Timo Gottschalk (GER) - Overdrive Racing - 6m54s
3. Mattias Ekstrom (SWE) / Emil Bergkvist (SWE) - Ford M-Sport - 21m40s
4. Mathieu Serradori (FRA) / Loïc Minaudier (FRA) - Century Racing Factory Team - at 30m25s
5. Lucas Moraes (BRA) / Armand Monleon (ESP) - Toyota Gazoo Racing - at 33m25s
6. Mitchell Guthrie (USA) / Kellon Walch (USA) - Ford M-Sport - 34m09s
7. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Edouard Boulanger (FRA) - The Dacia Sandriders - at 35m53s
In Rally2, Theric continues to build momentum
Of particular note was another fine performance by Neels Theric (Kove), who claimed his first stage podium, finishing 3ᵉ in Rally2. A feat that propels him to 14ᵉ scratch position and consolidates his 17ᵉ place in the overall standings.
This Thursday, the drivers face more than 400 km of special stages, a new opportunity for some to shine, for others, to try to turn things around. And at the latest score, it's Adrien Van Beveren who's leading the way!
