The winners of the last ten editions of the Dakar offer a summary of the recent history of the discipline, which has seen the emergence of strong champions from new continents, the end of the hegemony of KTM motorcycles, a significantly wider circle of major players, and titles more fiercely contested than in the Despres-Coma era. In that time, six riders have risen to the top, but none of them has managed to win twice in a row. Daniel Sanders is perhaps the best equipped to achieve this, if he remains at the level he has been at since he reached full maturity at the same time as the consecration, last January. In the wake of his clear victory on a Dakar controlled from start to finish, the Australian driver followed up with victories in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the South African Safari Rally and the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal: a clear round before securing the W2RC title thanks to his second place in the Rallye du Maroc. Faced with such a convincing series, the Melbourne beekeeper rider is both the natural leader of the KTMs and the big favourite for the Saudi event. In the event of a hitch in the Sanders plan, the Austrian firm can count on two teammates capable of the best, with former world champion Luciano Benavides, who is biding his time to climb onto the Dakar podium (4th in 2025); and the young Spaniard Edgar Canet, impressive when he reached8th place for his baptism at only 19 years old and already consistent since he won on the W2RC in the Rally 2 category.
However, the Saudi desert will not be an avenue for “Chucky”, who is well aware that the fiercest competition will come from the Honda clan, made up of four experienced drivers who have already been on the Dakar podium. Two-time winner Ricky Brabec (2020-24) is the only candidate in contention for a possible third title, but all eyes are on Tosha Schareina, who also seems to be on the way to making the most of her potential. The Spaniard is both Sanders ‘ runner-up in the last Dakar and in the W2RC championship, and above all the only one to have beaten him in 2025, on the occasion of his recent victory at the Rallye du Maroc. The “reds” have another trump card with Adrien Van Beveren, 3rdin the last two editions and still determined to reach the top.
The two most prominent teams do not prevent the outsiders from cultivating high ambitions. Last year, former world champion Ross Branch ‘s hopes were dashed by a premature retirement, but the duo he forms with “Nacho” Cornejo at Hero will try to thwart the most obvious predictions. This is also the objective of the manufacturer Sherco, which has secured the services of South African Bradley Cox to associate a new top rider with Lorenzo Santolino: both dream of a podium in Yanbu.
Hero and Sherco are engaged in a double challenge, both having in their ranks leaders of the Rally 2 category, ready to take advantage of the rise in the elite of the holder Edgar Canet. The Indian brand has recruited Tobias Ebster, who has tried to follow the Catalan prodigy’s wheel all year long to finish2nd in the hierarchy at the W2RC, while 2024 winner Harith Noah has remained loyal to the French team. The fight for this coveted title as a springboard should also concern the BAS World KTM team, which is fielding the South African Michael Docherty, capable of aiming for the Top 10 in the scratch race, as well as the Slovenian Toni Mulec (13th in 2025) and the Polish Konrad Dabrowski (16th in 2025).
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