Defending champion Daniel Sanders moved into control of the Dakar Rally by winning the second stage at AlUla. The Australian secured his 10th career Dakar stage victory, becoming only the 22nd rider in history to reach double figures, after a strong performance alongside teammate Edgar Canet.
Canet, who had earlier won the prologue and stage one, was tasked with opening the route for much of the 400km special. A small crash allowed Sanders to close in, and after time bonuses were applied, Sanders finished the stage 1 minute 35 seconds ahead and took over the overall lead by 30 seconds.
Ricky Brabec recorded the third-fastest time of the day and remains third overall, 2 minutes 18 seconds behind the leader. The top five is tightly packed, with Tosha Schareina in fourth and Ross Branch in fifth, both still within striking distance.
Adrien Van Beveren suffered a heavy crash and dropped back to 10th overall, losing more than 14 minutes and slipping out of early contention.
In Rally2, history was made as Portuguese rookie Martim Ventura claimed the category’s first-ever stage win for Honda. Despite the breakthrough, Ventura did not take the overall Rally2 lead, which remains with Michael Docherty, holding a slim 19-second advantage.