Watch daily extended highlights from the 2025 edition of the Dakar Rally each morning via our - plus a daily 15-minute mini recap and more from January 4 to January 18 (AEDT).
Sanders was tasked with opening the stage as a result of his victory in the Chrono but found navigating the untouched terrain quite difficult as his rivals picked up speed behind him.
The Red Bull KTM rider finished 14’59” behind stage winner Lorenzo Santolino, before receiving almost five minutes back for a faulty navigation program.
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Dakar Rally 2025
series • motorsport
series • motorsport
It means the 30-year-old now leads the overall standings by 6’51”, with Honda rival Skyler Howes his closest challenger.
Fellow Australian Toby Price and British navigator Sam Sunderland slid from fourth to sixth in the cars classification after an overheating issue with their Toyota limited their speed to 140km/h.
The pair finished 18th for the stage as a result, 16’04” behind the day's winners Saood Variawa and Francois Cazalet.
Meanwhile, Toby Hederics had his best day yet at this year’s rally, finishing in the top 10 of Rally 2 for the first time.
Hederics finished the day in seventh position, 9’09” behind winner Edgar Canet, and now sits 11th in the Rally 2 classification.
Compatriot Andrew Houlihan was still dealing with the electrical issues that forced him to abandon the Chrono stage but was, thankfully, able to complete the day in 13th position, with the Nomadas Adventure driver sitting 17th overall in the Malle Moto.
And brothers Peter and Christopher Schey were happy with their day in the Classic classification, finishing 30th for the stage and 26th overall.
