Red Bull KTM’s Daniel Sanders secured his second rally victory of 2025 with a commanding win at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
Heading into the final day of Stage Five, Sanders held a 7:23-second lead over Honda’s Ricky Brabec, starting from fourth place. Meanwhile, Tosha Schareina (Honda), who had been in close contention for the overall lead, endured a disastrous penultimate stage, losing over 10 minutes after opening the route.
Faced with the same challenge on the final day, Australian rider Sanders managed his race expertly, limiting his time loss to Brabec to just 1:36 seconds and clinching the overall victory with a 5:47-second margin. Schareina fought back, winning the final stage and narrowly overtaking KTM’s Luciano Benavides to claim the final podium spot. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) followed next from Nacho Cornejo (Hero) and the final factory Honda of Skyler Howes.
“This is a huge victory for me, especially after missing out on the win here last time on the final day—that was tough,” Sanders said. “I felt great all week, and winning three races in a row now is just incredible. I’m loving the ride; my KTM is performing flawlessly, and I can’t thank the team enough for all their hard work.”
The last rider to achieve the Dakar/ADDC double was Sam Sunderland in 2022—a season where he went on to claim the world championship. Sanders now leads the 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship standings by 17 points over Schareina, with Brabec sitting third, 26 points behind.
“The final stage was all-out, just full gas,” Brabec said. “I’m happy to be at the finish and excited for the next round. I broke my leg in October, so I wasn’t at 100 percent for the Dakar Rally, but I’ve been working on my knee since then, and my leg is feeling a lot stronger now.”
This victory marks Sanders’ second win of the 2025 W2RC season and his third consecutive rally triumph, following his successes at the Rallye du Maroc last October and the Dakar Rally in January. It also serves as redemption for his narrow loss in Abu Dhabi two years ago.CN
Rally GP (Top 5)
- Daniel Sanders (KTM)
- Ricky Brabec (Hon)
- Tosha Schareina (Hon)
- Luciano Benavides (KTM)
- Adrien Van Beveren (Hon)
Daniel Sanders claimed victory in Stage Two of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on Monday, February 24. The stage loop covered a total of 188 miles, with 142 miles dedicated to special stages through the stunning southern fringes of the Liwa Oasis.
Sanders dominated the bike category, leading the special stage from start to finish. The Australian Red Bull KTM Factory rider secured a comfortable win, finishing three minutes and 59 seconds ahead of Hero Motorsports’ Jose Ignacio Cornejo and more than five minutes ahead of Monster Energy Honda HRC’s Adrien Van Beveren.
Overnight leader Tosha Schareina was the first to set off in the early morning, laying down tracks for the riders behind. This ultimately worked against him, as the Spaniard finished seventh, dropping to third overall behind new event leader Sanders and fellow Red Bull KTM Factory rider Luciano Benavides.
Monster Energy Honda HRC’s Skyler Howes sits fifth overall, moving up one position ahead of American teammate Ricky Brabec. Schareina follows, with Michael Docherty (SRG Motorsports Husqvarna), Tobias Ebster (SRG Motorsports KTM), and Konrad Dabrowski (Duust Rally Team KTM) rounding out the current top 10 standings.
Defending FIM World Rally-Raid Champion Ross Branch was forced to withdraw from the rally after a clutch issue on his Hero 450 Rally proved irreparable.
Stage Three marks one of the most challenging sections of the rally as competitors head toward the remote Al Qua’a region. There are three more stages left to run to decide the winner of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. CN
- Daniel Sanders (KTM)
- Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Her)
- Adrien Van Beveren (Hon)
- Luciano Benavides (KTM)
- Skyler Howes (Hon)
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