Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Daniel Sanders Make History with Dakar Rally Victories

Saudi Arabia's Al-Rajhi wins his first Dakar Rally on home soil, while Australia's Sanders dominates the motorcycle category from start to finish.

Yazeed Al-Rajhi became the first Saudi Arabian to win the Dakar Rally, completing the grueling event in 52 hours, 52 minutes, and 15 seconds.
Al-Rajhi's victory came after 11 attempts, with a narrow margin of 3 minutes and 57 seconds over South Africa's Henk Lategan, marking the smallest gap in 15 years.
Daniel Sanders, riding for Red Bull KTM, became the second Australian to win the motorcycle category, leading the race from start to finish across 12 stages.
Sanders secured an 8-minute, 50-second lead over Spain's Tosha Schareina, marking the first wire-to-wire motorcycle victory since 2009.
Both victories were significant milestones, with Al-Rajhi also breaking a 25-year streak of factory teams dominating the car category and Sanders overcoming years of injuries to achieve his career-defining triumph.