We’ve finally reached the finish line of the 2025 Dakar Rally, a race that was truly epic from the Prologue to the end of Stage 12. A host of first-time winners emerged from the convoy to write their names on the famous Dakar Rally trophy after battling the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Towering sand dunes, extreme temperatures and a racing distance of over 5,000 kilometres all lay in wait at the world’s toughest rally. Let’s salute the winners of this legendary rally and also the entire Red Bull Desert Wings squad who tested themselves against motorsports’s most mighty challenge…
There’s rarely been a performance so dominant on two wheels as Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders put in on his way to claiming his first Dakar win and the 20th victory for KTM. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider held the lead since setting the fastest time on the Prologue Stage two weeks ago. The Australian won five stages in total to equal the achievement of his countryman Toby Price back in 2016. Back then Price won the Dakar bike race, in 2025 it’s Sanders who has taken victory for the first time.
« Winning this race feels massive. When I came over the last dune and saw the bivouac I got instant chills through the whole body. All the emotions just started coming through! The Dakar is the biggest off-road bike race in the world. » – Daniel Sanders
Among the chasing pack that pushed Sanders all the way in Saudi Arabia was his KTM team-mate Luciano Benavides. The Argentinian really upped the pace in the rally’s second week as he took two stage wins between Hail and Shubaytah. Benavides eventually had to settle for fourth overall and that’s his best ever Dakar finish, even if he’s aiming for even more!
« To get close to the front you must risk everything and it’s not easy to finish in one piece. It was a really tough Dakar, but I’m happy with how I rode. This has been my best Dakar performance by far. I will not stop until I win this race. » – Luciano Benavides
The breakout star of this year’s Dakar bike race is undoubtably 19-year-old Edgar Canet. The rookie was a last-minute recruit of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and raced in the Rally2 category due to his lack of experience. Not only did Canet win the Rally2 class, but he finished eighth overall.
« 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 wins the overall so I’m super happy with that. » – Edgar Canet
Canet was pushed all the way in the Rally2 class by Austrian biker Tobias Ebster. The KTM rider finished up second in Rally2, ninth overall and took first place among all privateer entries in the bike race. These impressive collection of results were sealed with third place overall on the final stage.
« I’m so happy about the progress I made at this Dakar. Bringing this result home to Austria definitely means a lot to me » – Tobias Ebster
Kevin Benavides, older brother of Luciano, was among the bikers who didn’t make it to the end of this Dakar. The Argentinian two-time Dakar winner was forced to pullout of the rally at Rest Day due to injuries. There were also premature exits for Harith Noah and Mohammed Balooshi during the first week of this ultra-challenging edition of the Dakar.
The Ultimate class delivered a win on home turf for Saudi Arabian driver Yazeed Al Rajhi, giving the crowd gathered at the podium in Shubaytah plenty to cheer about. Al Rajhi came out on top of a cat and mouse battle with fellow Toyota Hilux driver Henk Lategan over the dunes of the Empty Quarter. Al Rajhi’s co-driver Timo Gottschalk is now a two-time winner of the Dakar with wins in both South America and Saudi Arabia.
« Today we’ve broken many records. I’m the first Saudi driver to win the Dakar and it’s also been 25 years since all factory teams were beaten. » – Yazeed Al Rajhi
Taking third spot on the final podium behind Al Rajhi and Lategan was Mattias Ekström of Ford M-Sport. The Swede was debuting the brand-new Ford Raptor T1+ at this Dakar and its V8 engine powered Ekström and co-driver Emil Bergkvist to their best ever Dakar finish.
« It’s my first Dakar podium in the Ultimate category and it feels very nice. It was a very challenging rally for all of us. We tried our best to fight for the win, but this year we were not good enough. » – Mattias Ekström
Time lost in the first week as the convoy tackled both the 48-Hour Chrono and Marathon Stage gave Nasser Al-Attiyah an uphill task as he chased a sixth Dakar victory. The Qatari and co-driver Edouard Boulanger were also in a new car, the Dacia Sandrider, which they took to its first-ever Dakar stage win. Al-Attiyah finished up fourth overall at this Dakar and his attention now turns to winning a fourth consecutive World Rally-Raid Championship.
« We had a problem on one day and without that day we could have really had a good fight for the win. Now the World Championship is very important for us. The next race is in Abu Dhabi and it will be good for me because it’s all in the sand. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
It was a first Dakar in the Ultimate class for Mitch Guthrie Jr. and the Californian adapted quickly to his Ford Raptor T1+. The Californian and co-driver Kellon Walch hardly put a foot wrong during the two-week odyssey from Bisha to Shubaytah and were rewarded with fifth place overall.
« It feels like a win to get to the end of my first year in the Ultimate class in fifth overall. To run up front with all these legendary drivers feels amazing and I’m already excited for next year. » – Mitch Guthrie Jr.
Guthrie Jr. was joined in the overall Top 10 by fellow Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team graduate Seth Quintero. It’s remarkable that Quintero at just 22 years old already has five editions of the Dakar under his belt. A pair of stage wins in the first week of this Dakar were the highlights of Quintero and co-driver Dennis Zenz’s latest trip to Saudi Arabia.
« It’s hard to sum up this Dakar. It’s been a year of learning and a year of growing. We got a couple of stage wins, but a bit of bad luck here and there took us down a few spots. » – Seth Quintero
One of toughest tests at this Dakar was the 48-Hour Chrono, a stage of nearly 1,000 kilometres spread over two days. In the Ultimate class it was category debutant Rokas Baciuška and his co-driver Oriol Mena who posted the 48-Hour Chrono’s fastest time. The Toyota Hilux pair finished this Dakar in 12th overall.
« We lost a lot of time on the first day of this Dakar, but that’s motorsport. We won the 48-hour stage to show the people that we’re here and we can compete. » – Rokas Baciuška
Joining his Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Quintero in scoring two stage wins was Lucas Moraes. The Brazilian had his fair share of rough days at this Dakar, but at the finish line he was able to pick out plenty of positives from the experience. Moraes and co-driver Armand Monleon take a result of 14th overall away from this Dakar.
« I had some issues at this Dakar that helped me to learn a lot. It wasn’t the overall result we were expecting, but it’s nice to finish by winning the Champs-Élysées stage. » – Lucas Moraes
It was also an up and down Dakar for last year »s runner-up in the Ultimate class, Guillaume De Mévius. The second week started with a stage win, but it wasn’t all plain sailing in the dunes for the Belgian and co-driver Mathieu Baumel. This pair go to the next round of the World Rally-Raid Championship off the back of an 18th place finish at the Dakar.
« Overall, we did a lot of good things and I want to remember that. Our next race is next month in Abu Dhabi and we’ll do everything we can to be stronger at that rally. » – Guillaume De Mévius
Early setbacks saw both Cristina Gutiérrez and co-driver Pablo Moreno plus Nani Roma and navigator Alex Haro playing supporting roles for their teams. Dacia driver Gutiérrez managed a string of Top 10 stage results while Moreno’s on stage mechanical fixes made him a hero in the team. Roma gave his team a Dakar highlight when he drove the Ford Raptor T1+ to its first-ever Dakar stage win.
« It’s been a tough Dakar for us, the first time in the Ultimate class and the first time with The Dacia Sandriders. But I am so happy with what Pablo and me achieved and so pleased with the experience we gained. » – Cristina Gutiérrez
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 were 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.
Toby Price and co-driver Sam Sunderland won the Dakar bike race two times each before teaming up to take on the rally in a Toyota Hilux in the Ultimate class. The pair got off to a quick start and were running inside the Top 5 overall in the first week. However, a series of heavy impacts saw Sunderland sustain a concussion which forced the duo to withdraw from the race following Stage 6. Another high-profile retirement at this Dakar was 2009 Dakar winner Giniel de Villers alongside co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz.
Challenger class rookie Gonçalo Guerreiro continued the theme of fresh faces shaking things up at this Dakar. The Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team driver pushed eventual Challenger champion Nicolas Cavigliasso all the way before finishing second overall. Guerreiro and co-driver Cadu Sachs stood up to everything the Dakar threw at them during the rally to score a debut podium.
« I’m happy about my performance on this tough Dakar. Even to start the Dakar was already a victory for me. I hope I can do this race many more times and one day for sure I will win the Dakar. » – Gonçalo Guerreiro
Celebrating with Cavigliasso and Guerreiro on the final Challenger podium was fellow Taurus T3 Max driver Pau Navarro. The Catalan racer and co-pilot Lisandro Sisterna shot up the rankings during the rally’s second week. Navarro is only 20 years old but has now competed in the Ultimate, Challenger, SSV and Truck categories of the Dakar.
« The start was complicated for us with some problems, but we made it to the end. Finishing on the podium is a really nice plus for us. My father’s best result was fourth in 2022 and now I’m a little bit higher. » – Pau Navarro
Also leaving Saudi Arabia with great memories from a debut in the Challenger race is Corbin Leaverton. The Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team driver ran up front on the majority of stages although a couple of setbacks did dent his shot at the podium. The American and co-driver Taye Perry were winners on Stage 7.
« We made it to the finish so that’s a huge positive and something I’m very proud of. Last night we were stranded out in the desert after a turbo let go. Even the service truck broke so nobody got to us until about 4am. We got back to the bivouac just 20 minutes before we had to head out for Stage 12. It’s amazing to be at the finish line now! » – Corbin Leaverton
Luck was not on Dania Akeel and co-driver Stéphane Duplé’s side at the start of the Dakar’s second week as a broken wishbone on their vehicle saw a shot at the overall Challenger class podium slip away. However, on Stage 10 Saudi Arabian driver Akeel 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. 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.
Coming close to repeating his SSV victories at the Dakar in 2019 and 2021 was Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López. The Chilean came second behind Brock Heger in this year’s SSV contest, the seventh podium finish of López’s Dakar career.
« The race this year was very, very hard. We had problems in the 48-hour stage. After that we kept pushing and finishing in second is a good result for us. Thanks to my co-driver, my team, my family and my sponsors. » – Francisco ‘Chaleco’ López
All finishers of the 2025 Dakar Rally were honoured on the podium stage in the spectacular setting of the Shubaytah bivouac, in the heart of the Empty Quarter Desert. Once again the Dakar has proved to be the greatest challenge that motorsport has to offer, taking the convoy on a 5,000-kilometre voyage through the deserts of Saudi Arabia. When competitors and their machines have finally recovered from the rally you can be sure they’ll be hatching a plan to come back to Saudi Arabia to do it all again next year.
Selected Final Standings of 2025 Dakar Rally
ULTIMATE
1. Yazeed Al Rajhi (SAU) / Timo Gottschalk (DEU) – Toyota 52:52:15
2. Henk Lategan (ZAF) / Brett Cummings (ZAF) – Toyota +03:57
3. Mattias Ekström (SWE) / Emil Bergkvist (SWE) – Ford +20:21
4. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Edouard Boulanger (FRA) – Dacia +23:58
5. Mitch Guthrie Jr. (USA) / Kellon Walch (USA) – Ford +01:02:10
9. Seth Quintero (USA) / Dennis Zenz (DEU) – Toyota +02:20:04
12. Rokas Baciuška (LTU) / Oriol Mena (ESP) – Toyota +03:42:21
14. Lucas Moraes (BRA) / Armand Monleon (ESP) – Toyota +05:23:30
18. Guillaume De Mévius (BEL) / Mathieu Baumel (FRA) – MINI +08:03:43
41. Cristina Gutiérrez (ESP) / Pablo Moreno (ESP) – Dacia +38:44:31
43. Nani Roma (ESP) / Alex Haro (ESP) – Ford +70:13:44
CHALLENGER
1. Nicolas Cavigliasso (ARG) / Valentina Pertegarini (ARG) – Taurus 57:50:21
2. Gonçalo Guerreiro (POR) / Cadu Sachs (BRA) – Taurus +01:11:38
3. Pau Navarro (ESP) / Lisandro Sisterna (ARG) – Taurus +01:30:13
20. Corbin Leaverton (USA) / Taye Perry (DEU) – Taurus +34:34:35
27. Dania Akeel (SAU) / Stéphane Duplé (FRA) – Taurus +72:56:34
SSV
1. Brock Heger (USA) / Max Eddy (USA) – Polaris 59:13:11
2. Francisco López (CHL) / Juan Pablo Latrach (CHL) – CAN-AM +02:06:04
3. Jeremías González Ferioli (ARG) / Pedro Rinaldi (ARG) – CAN-AM +03:37:11
BIKE (OVERALL)
1. Daniel Sanders (AUS) – KTM 53:08:52
2. Tosha Schareina (ESP) – Honda +08:50
3. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA) – Honda +14:46
4. Luciano Benavides (ARG) – KTM +22:16
8. Edgar Canet (ESP) – KTM +01:40:29
BIKE (RALLY2)
1. Edgar Canet (ESP) – KTM 54:49:21
2. Tobias Ebster (AUT) – KTM +33:25
3. Romain Dumontier (FRA) – Honda +01:22:33
QUOTES
Daniel Sanders: « Winning this race feels massive. When I came over the last dune and saw the bivouac I got instant chills through the whole body. All the emotions just started coming through! The Dakar is the biggest off-road bike race in the world. To have won the International Six Days Enduro and now the Dakar has ticked off everything I ever wanted to achieve. I have to thank my team and all my family and friends who have supported me along the way. »
Luciano Benavides: « It feels really nice to get this one done. Now the body can relax after two hard weeks in the desert. To get close to the front you must risk everything and it’s not easy to finish in one piece. It was a really tough Dakar, but I’m happy with how I rode. This has been my best Dakar performance by far. I will not stop until I win this race. »
Edgar Canet: « It’s amazing to reach the finish of my first Dakar Rally. 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 wins the overall so I’m super happy with that. »
Tobias Ebster: « I can’t believe it’s finally over, it was such a tough run. The first week felt so long, but after Rest Day it was much better. I’m so happy about the progress I made at this Dakar. Bringing this result home to Austria definitely means a lot to me. KTM delivered a really good performance with the bike. I’m happy for Chucky and Edgar as well. »
Yazeed Al Rajhi: « This was the toughest Dakar I ever did out of all the 11 I’ve raced. I’m happy with the job I did and also Timo (Gottschalk) and the team. Today we’ve broken many records. I’m the first Saudi driver to win the Dakar and it’s also been 25 years since all factory teams were beaten. From the start of the rally our plan was to go on the attack. But this is a long rally so your strategy has to be clever and you need to watch what’s going on around you. Finally, we did everything very, very well. »
Mattias Ekström: « It’s my first Dakar podium in the Ultimate category and it feels very nice. It was a very challenging rally for all of us. I think Yazeed (Al Rajhi) deserved to win, I know how much he’s trained for this. We tried our best to fight for the win, but this year we were not good enough. I say thanks to Ford Performance, to M-Sport and to our Ford Raptor for being so nice to us. »
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « We’re happy to finish. We had a problem on one day and without that day we could have really had a good fight for the win. Now the World Championship is very important for us. The next race is in Abu Dhabi and it will be good for me because it’s all in the sand. »
Mitch Guthrie Jr.: « They didn’t make it easy on us drivers this year. It feels like a win to get to the end of my first year in the Ultimate class in fifth overall. It was such a clean Dakar, we really didn’t have any issues. To run up front with all these legendary drivers feels amazing and I’m already excited for next year. »
Seth Quintero: « It’s hard to sum up this Dakar. It’s been a year of learning and a year of growing. The speed was there and the whole Toyota Gazoo Racing team did an amazing job for me, I can’t thank them enough. We got a couple of stage wins, but a bit of bad luck here and there took us down a few spots. I’m still only 22, but this was already my fifth Dakar. »
Rokas Baciuška: « We lost a lot of time on the first day of this Dakar, but that’s motorsport. We came back to finish 12th overall at our first Dakar in the Ultimate class. We also won the 48-hour stage to show the people that we’re here and we can compete. »
Lucas Moraes: « Finishing another Dakar is always a huge moment. I’m so proud of the team, they delivered us an amazing car. To win two stages and be second on another one showed the speed we had. I had some issues at this Dakar that helped me to learn a lot. It wasn’t the overall result we were expecting, but it’s nice to finish by winning the Champs-Élysées stage. »
Guillaume De Mévius: « Everything was not perfect for us on this rally and it was tough. Overall, we did a lot of good things and I want to remember that. The team was good and so was the car so we’re happy about that. Our next race is next month in Abu Dhabi and we’ll do everything we can to be stronger at that rally. »
Cristina Gutiérrez: « It’s been a tough Dakar for us, the first time in the Ultimate class and the first time with The Dacia Sandriders. But I am so happy with what Pablo and me achieved and so pleased with the experience we gained. »
Gonçalo Guerreiro: « I’m happy about my performance on this tough Dakar. Even to start the Dakar was already a victory for me. I hope I can do this race many more times and one day for sure I will win the Dakar. This is my target and my main goal. For now I’ll celebrate second overall because to me it feels like a victory. »
Pau Navarro: « I think it’s fun that the Dakar was so tough. The start was complicated for us with some problems, but we made it to the end. Finishing on the podium is a really nice plus for us. My father’s best result was fourth in 2022 and now I’m a little bit higher. »
Corbin Leaverton: « We made it to the finish so that’s a huge positive and something I’m very proud of. Last night we were stranded out in the desert after a turbo let go. Even the service truck broke so nobody got to us until about 4am. We got back to the bivouac just 20 minutes before we had to head out for Stage 12. It’s amazing to be at the finish line now! »
Francisco López: « The race this year was very, very hard. We had problems in the 48-hour stage. After that we kept pushing and finishing in second is a good result for us. Thanks to my co-driver, my team, my family and my sponsors. »