Australian world champion Daniel Sanders has delivered a stunning display of grit at the Dakar Rally, vowing to continue racing despite suffering multiple broken bones in a high-speed crash.
‘Not a Quitter’: Sanders’ Defiant Pledge
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider, who was leading the motorbike category, saw his hopes of a consecutive victory dashed on the marathon stage from Wadi ad Dawasir to Bisha. 138 kilometres into the second half of the stage, Sanders careered over a large dune and suffered a heavy fall.
Remounting his factory KTM, the 31-year-old from Three Bridges completed the stage but lost significant time. Medical assessments confirmed serious injuries. “It looks like, for sure, a snapped left collarbone,” Sanders stated. “And also the sternum, I’ve broken this as well.”
Despite the immense pain, his resolve is unbroken. “We don’t quit,” he declared. “Mum and dad didn’t raise no quitter, so I’m not pulling out now until someone else tells me to pull out, or they drag me out of the race. I’m not stopping.”
Race Standings Shift After Dramatic Crash
The incident has dramatically reshuffled the leaderboard in the motorbike class. Sanders, who held a commanding lead of over six minutes, finished stage 10 a staggering 28 minutes behind the day's winner, Adrien van Beveren on a Honda.
He has now dropped from first to fourth place overall. Sanders is 17 minutes and 37 seconds behind new leader Ricky Brabec of Monster Energy Honda, and 16 minutes 41 seconds adrift of his own KTM teammate, Luciano Benavides.
The crash also highlighted the famed camaraderie of the rally raid community. American rider Ricky Brabec, a two-time Dakar winner, stopped to assist Sanders immediately after the fall.
A History of Dakar Adversity
This is not the first time Sanders has battled through injury at the world's toughest rally. His Dakar history is marked by remarkable resilience:
- 2022: Finished third overall despite fracturing his elbow and wrist in a crash.
- 2023: His campaign was hampered by severe food poisoning and a thorn lodged in his arm muscle.
- 2024: He broke his leg in a pre-race training session but still managed to finish in eighth place.
This latest setback ends his dream of becoming the first man in 11 years to win back-to-back Dakar motorbike titles. It is a bitter blow for the rider who dominated the 2024 world rally-raid championship, winning four of the five rounds.
Meanwhile, in the car category, Qatari legend Nasser Al-Attiyah has snatched back the overall lead. A second-place finish on the stage behind Mathieu Serradori moves him within sight of a historic sixth Dakar triumph.
Daniel Sanders now faces three final days of gruelling competition across the Saudi Arabian desert, his body battered but his spirit defiantly intact.
