The Dakar Rally is known as the world’s toughest race for a reason. Almost half a century since the Dakar’s inception there’s still nothing in the realm of motorsports that comes close as a test of both mechanical and mental resilience.
To maintain its legendary reputation, the Dakar keeps evolving with innovative ways to push its convoy to the absolute limit. The 2025 edition of the rally was no exception, with competitors bombarded with towering sand dunes, 48-hour stages and extreme temperatures. Here are some stories from the 8,000km route through Saudi Arabia that you may have missed…
01
Daniel Sanders leads the way
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Daniel Sanders bagged the team's 20th title as he became only the second Australian rider to top the Dakar podium, after Toby Price. Sanders led the standings from the prologue to the finish line – the first time in 16 years that particular feat has been achieved – by Stage 10 he had five stage wins, equalling a record set by Price in 2016.
"Winning this race feels massive. When I came over the last dune and saw the bivouac I got instant chills through the whole body," said a delighted Sanders after catching his breath. "All the emotions just started coming through. The Dakar is the biggest off-road bike race in the world."
02
Home hero takes Ultimate triumph, Ekström bags Ford's first podium
Toyota privateer and local favorite Yazeed Al Rajhi of Saudi Arabia pulled off a surprise win as he held off the challenge of Henk Lategan over the latter stages as the South African bid to become only the second driver to take the trophy back to Africa after Giniel de Villiers’s win in 2009. Other headline performances came in the shape of Mattias Ekström, whose consistent performances were finally rewarded with a stage win on the penultimate day and a third-place finish overall on Ford M-Sport's full Dakar debut. Close behind him came Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah, who piloted his Dacia Sandrider to fourth overall, followed by another Ford M-Sport of Mitch Guthrie Jr in fifth.
Winning this race feels massive. When I came over the last dune and saw the bivouac I got instant chills through the whole body.
03
Cavigliasso wins Challengers, Guerreiro makes a splash
Argentina's Nicolas Cavigliasso led the way in Challenger class since Stage 1, building up a big advantage which he held on to over the final stage, winning by a margin of over an hour. Behind him on the podium, however, was the Portuguese rookie Gonçalo Guerreiro of Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team, who will be delighted to have bagged second place on his Dakar debut. Also on the podium was Spain's Pau Navarro of Team BBR. Despite still only being 20 years old, Navarro was competing in his fourth category at the Dakar following entries as a Truck class co-driver plus drives in both the SSV and Ultimate categories previously.
04
A route that dived into the deep end
For the first time ever the Dakar route delivered both a 48-Hour Chrono and a Marathon Stage inside the first week. The 48-Hour Chrono took competitors on a two-day loop that measured a full 1,000km. On returning to the Bisha bivouac Ford M-Sport driver Mattias Ekström said, “It feels like we just finished the whole rally, but it’s only Stage 2!” Before reaching the sanctuary of the Rest Day in Hail the convoy had another mighty challenge ahead of them, the Marathon Stage. This two-stages-in-one format prevents contact with service crews for one night so all repairs become a solo job. The conclusion of this year’s Marathon Stage between Al Henakiyah and Hail was also the conclusion of an opening week that bruised and battered the convoy. “This has been a really tough week for everyone,” Two-time bike race winner Kevin Benavides commented before withdrawing from the rally, “For me it has been especially tough because it feels like I’m riding with one arm and a half.”
It feels like we just finished the whole rally, but it’s only Stage 2!
05
High-profile retirements before the finish line
Both defending Ultimate class champion Carlos Sainz and nine-time WRC winner Sébastien Loeb were out of the rally before Rest Day. The reason for both withdrawals was identical. The FIA decided that damage to the roll cage of Sainz’s Ford Raptor T1+ and Loeb’s Dacia Sandrider meant that their cars were no longer safe to continue racing. The same was true for Laia Sanz who was prevented from finishing her 15th consecutive Dakar. Other high-profile retirements at this Dakar included Toby Price and co-driver Sam Sunderland, plus 2009 Dakar winner Giniel de Villers in the Ultimate class. On two-wheels Kevin Benavides, Harith Noah and Mohammed Balooshi were out before the rally’s second week got started. “I have made the decision to withdraw from the rally,” Kevin Benavides announced on Rest Day, “The risk of further injury is too great. I hope to be back racing again soon.”
Find out more about the Rally's biggest crashes:
06
Edgar Canet was a rookie on the rampage
It was only days before the start of the 2025 Dakar Rally when Edgar Canet got the call to join Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Being part of a team with 19 Dakar bike race wins (20 now!) was clearly the opportunity of a lifetime for the 19-year-old rider from Catalonia.
Canet spent the first week of this Dakar repaying the faith shown in him and reached the Rest Day leading the Rally2 category by 16m 39s and in the Top 10 of the overall bike rankings. He kept on the throttle as the race departed Hail and headed south to the Empty Quarter Desert to eventually seal the Rally2 title on his debut Dakar ride and place eighth in the main Bike category.
"For two weeks I’ve only been thinking about arriving at the finish. Finishing eighth overall and P1 in Rally2 is a dream come true. Also my team-mate Chucky won the overall, so I'm super happy with that," said the year's standout debutant.
07
Dania Akeel dominates the dunes
Luck was not on Dania Akeel’s side at the start of the Dakar Rally’s second week as a broken wishbone on her vehicle saw a shot at the overall Challenger class podium slip away. However, on Stage 10 the Saudi Arabian driver was back in the game and pulled off one of the most incredible results in the entire history of the Dakar. Not only did Akeel win the Challenger class stage, but her Taurus T3 Max was the third fastest four-wheeled machine through the stage as she beat all but two Ultimate class cars. The stage win gave Akeel five precious World Rally-Raid Championship points and another highlight in her racing career. “I saw the board at the end of the stage and it said we were third overall!” Akeel said after her famous drive. “The dunes were so much fun, it was a bit like sailing a boat on the sea.” With her Challenger class victory Akeel became the fourth female to win a Dakar stage joining Jutta Kleinschmidt, Cristina Gutiérrez and Sara Price in the history books.
08
The Empty Quarter remains the jewel in the Dakar crown
No matter how tough things got in the first week of this Dakar, the temperature was always going to be turned up even further in the Empty Quarter Desert. Since the route for the 2025 Dakar Rally was announced, anticipation was building for the final three days of the rally – all to be hosted on the mighty sand dunes of Empty Quarter otherwise known as Rub' al Khali. With a bivouac installed at Shubaytah the stage was set for the final three decisive desert stages. Competitors found a variety of ways to deal with the extreme desert heat. Mitch Guthrie Jr. rode it out with the windows of his Ford Raptor T1+ rolled down: “We didn’t have A/C on the stage so we left the door open the entire time and made it to the finish.” The Shubaytah bivouac was home to the final podium where the entire convoy that conquered the 47th Dakar Rally were honored.
The dunes were so much fun, it was a bit like sailing a boat on the sea.
09
All roads lead to Roma
Nani Roma felt the full force of the Dakar’s tricky opening week more than most. Due to various mechanical issues and resulting time penalties he found himself over 65 hours off the lead by Rest Day. However, Roma is no quitter and has a place in Dakar history as one of only three competitors to win both the bike race and the elite car category (alongside Stéphane Peterhansel and Hubert Auriol). Roma came out fighting on Stage 10 and raced across the dunes to pick up the 26th stage win of his illustrious Dakar career (bike and car categories combined). The Catalan’s stage win put the Ford Raptor T1+ on top of the daily leaderboard for the very first time. “I’m happy for the team because of all the hard work they have been putting in,” Roma said in Shubaytah. “We saw a positive outcome for all we have been doing to improve the car during this rally.”
10
Still to come…
The Dakar Rally was the first stop of this year’s 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship season. The FIA- and FIM-adjudicated championship is now in its fourth season and will take its convoy of Toyota, Dacia, Ford, MINI, KTM, Honda, Hero, Taurus Can-Am plus other brands around the globe again in the coming months. The next stop is the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in February before the series breaks new ground with the South African Safari Rally in May. Then comes Rally-Raid Portugal in September before the traditional season finale at Rallye du Maroc in October. In January 2026 we’ll be heading back to Saudi Arabia for another Dakar Rally!
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