Al-Rajhi and Sanders claim first Dakar titles as Saudi rally reaches Shubaytah

A first Saudi car champion

Yazeed Al-Rajhi and German navigator Timo Gottschalk won the 2025 Dakar Rally car classification on 17 January, finishing 3 minutes 57 seconds ahead of South Africans Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings. Their Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux completed the rally in 52 hours 52 minutes 15 seconds. Al-Rajhi became the first Saudi driver to win the event, and Gottschalk earned a second Dakar victory, fourteen years after his success alongside Nasser Al-Attiyah.

The FIA report traced a close contest rather than a succession of dominant stage wins: Al-Rajhi won one stage, first reached the overall lead after the ninth day, and moved back in front on the penultimate stage. Lategan had led for eight days. The result also gave Al-Rajhi the early advantage in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.

Sanders completes an uninterrupted lead

Daniel Sanders delivered the motorcycle title for KTM, becoming the second Australian rider to win Dakar after Toby Price. The 30-year-old prevailed on his fifth attempt. FIM confirmed that he held the general-classification lead from the start to the finish, a feat last achieved by Marc Coma in 2009. He won four of the opening six stages and five across the event.

Honda riders Tosha Schareina and Adrien Van Beveren finished second and third. Luciano Benavides placed fourth, ahead of defending champion Ricky Brabec. KTM also won Rally 2 through 19-year-old Spaniard Edgar Canet, who finished as the leading rookie. Canet’s success supplied a separate breakthrough within the motorcycle competition, beyond the outright win.

New winners across the classes

The organizer’s closing account identified Argentine couple Nicolas Cavigliasso and Valentina Pertegarini as Challenger winners after leading from Bisha onward. American Brock Heger took the SSV title on his 25th birthday. Czech truck driver Martin Macik was the only defending champion among the main competitive categories to retain his crown.

The Dakar Classic consistency competition ended with Carlos Santaolalla becoming its first repeat winner. The distinct Mission 1000 technology challenge completed a 1,300-kilometre journey with five participating vehicles. Its entries included a hydrogen-powered HySe SSV, a KH7 truck and three Segway electric motorcycles. Those projects ran their own challenge and should be distinguished from the overall racing classifications.

A demanding January route

The rally ran from 3 to 17 January and was the sixth edition held in Saudi Arabia. Its conclusion brought first-time outright champions in both the car and motorcycle races, but also familiar manufacturers and established podium contenders. The official finish summary counted 175 vehicles that covered their entire required routes, with a further 52 finishing after using jokers. Another 108 vehicles exited early. The rally finished at Shubaytah after beginning at Bisha.