Sanders soars to world title
Daniel “Chucky” Sanders has left the World Rally-Raid W2RC field in his wake to perform an unheard-of sweep to the world title.
The Apple farmer from Three Bridges, Victoria, has been unstoppable on his KTM 450, becoming Australia’s second-ever world champion in the world’s toughest off-road competition.
Heading into the penultimate round at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, a podium would have sufficed, but like he’s done all year, he left the competition in the dust with a +03:40 victory.
In overcoming Honda Spaniard Tosha Schareina by winning three of the five stages and the Prologue, he took out the title by leaving Portugal with an unassailable 44-point lead over Luciano Benavides.
It’s the most dominant season in the history of the sport’s Moto category after taking the first four rounds of 2025, but his personal winning streak actually stands at six, dating back to Sonoro in 2023 before then succumbing to injury, whilst his current winning streak of five-straight dates back to the Rally du Maroc at the end of 2024.
In a year where he has carried the hopes of a beleaguered KTM franchise that’s been in the financial doldrums, he becomes the second Aussie to conquer the off-road Moto world since Toby Price in 2018.
“It’s a dream come true to win the world championship,” an elated Chucky said at the finish line in Lisboa.
“You think about it when you’re a kid, no matter what sport you do, but I chose motorbikes, and it worked out really well. The race here has gone so well, and the bike has been perfect, so a massive thank you to the team for all the hard work they put in.
“It’s very rare to have this sort of consistency in a rally as it’s often so unpredictable. But up to now, we’ve put in a perfect season, and we’ll still be aiming to carry that into Morocco.
“It’s still all sinking in, really. I’m happy to get the world championship here in Portugal and hopefully, there’s a lot more to come.”
Image: Kin Marcin / Red Bull Content Pool
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