KTM

 "It's really nice to have the FIM gold medal around my neck. Winning a second time would feel the same. Yes, it takes a weight off your shoulders. But there's even more pressure this year. The hardest thing is defending the title, which will require even more effort and add even more pressure. Everyone is after me now, so it's going to be tough, but I'm ready for the challenge."

• A pure product of the Australian off-road motorcycling scene, Daniel Sanders made a sensational debut at the 2021 Dakar, finishing 4th and Best Rookie, almost precisely as his compatriot and mentor Toby Price had done in 2015 (3rd).
• What followed in 2022 was even more painful: despite winning two special stages and sitting third overall, an accident on a liaison sector resulted in a fractured elbow and wrist. A year later, the rider from Three Bridges finished seventh after battling nasty food poisoning and a thorn stuck in a muscle in his arm, the ultimate irony for a beekeeper who is well accustomed to bee stings.
• Bad luck continued to plague him. As he prepared for his fourth Dakar Rally, he broke his femur during a training session in the Australian outback. Despite his truncated preparation, he nevertheless finished eighth overall.
• Finally free of health concerns, the 31-year-old rider joined the KTM factory team for his fifth participation. ‘Chucky’, as he is known, took the rally lead after the prologue and never looked back. He became the second Australian, after Toby Price, to win the motorcycle title, scoring five stage wins along the way.
• Sanders also clinched the W2RC World Championship 2025 title in the FIM category, winning four of the five rounds on the calendar (Dakar, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, South African Safari Rally, BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal), making him the favourite to repeat his victory, something no rider has ever achieved since the creation of the W2RC in 2022.