Sanders takes FIM World Rally Raid lead after dominant performance in South Africa

2025 FIM World Rally-Raid Championships

Round Three – South African Safari Rally
Stage Five – Saturday – Finish

The final day of action at the 2025 South African Safari Rally promised high drama, with riders gunning for Daniel Sanders’ overall lead while also chasing one last shot at stage glory. With just 111 km of special stage remaining across fast, expansive grasslands, there was no margin for error.

Ricky Brabec (Honda) came out swinging, setting the pace at the first checkpoint with teammates Skyler Howes and Adrien Van Beveren just a second adrift. Brabec looked determined to finish on a high, and despite briefly surrendering the lead midway through the stage to Sanders and Luciano Benavides, he launched a spirited comeback in the closing kilometres to reclaim the top spot.

The American crossed the line 42 seconds ahead, securing not only the stage victory but also third place overall, clinching the final step on the outright podium.

Ricky Brabec – Stage Five Winner

“The day was good and the whole rally was pretty fun too. There was a lot of grass track racing, corners, fences and quick navigation to totally throw you off, so overall I’m happy to be at the finish line. Today we made a good push, it was a kind of difficult stage as it was only 111 km, but it was full ISDE Six Days style with the grass and the trees. We did a good job today, we pushed really big and really hard. We got some time back today but unfortunately we were just one minute shy of second on the podium ,so we’ll have to accept third for this rally and go and get them at the next one.”

Sanders Delivers for KTM

The spotlight, however, firmly belonged to Daniel Sanders. Fresh off wins at the Dakar Rally and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the Australian rider continued his remarkable 2025 campaign with a commanding overall victory in South Africa.

Sanders won three of the five stages, finished second on the final day, and ultimately claimed the rally by nearly nine minutes over KTM teammate Luciano Benavides. His dominant performance also saw him become the all-time W2RC stage win leader, notching a record-setting 19 career stage victories.

Now leading the World Rally-Raid Championship standings by 35 points, Sanders heads into Round 4 – Rally Raid Portugal as the man to beat and the clear favourite for the 2025 title.

Daniel Sanders – South African Safari Rally Winner

“We’ve just won the South African Safari Rally to make it three races in a row this year! What a start to the season, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Every day has been different, from the navigation to the terrain, some of it has been crazy but I’ve really enjoyed my first time here. It feels great to put KTM on the top step again, and I’m excited to celebrate with the team. We’ve put in so much work over the past year to get to this point, so it’s great that it’s all paying off and I’m having so much fun riding this bike. My goal is of course to win the championship, and I’m feeling good for Portugal and Morocco later in the year. I’ll give it my all as always!”

Luciano Benavides delivered a superb ride at the South African Safari Rally to secure second overall, marking his best result of the 2025 season so far. Building on a strong start that saw him consistently finish inside the top three through the early stages, the Argentinian rider capped off his campaign with a solid fourth-place result on the final stage to comfortably secure the runner-up spot overall. Showcasing his skill and experience across the varied terrain, Luciano has been rewarded with a significant leap in the standings, moving from fifth to joint second in the championship behind teammate Sanders.

Luciano Benavides

“It’s amazing to finish second and make it a KTM one-two! Today was good, I knew I could hold onto second place so I stayed super focused on the navigation to avoid any mistakes. I’m really happy to be back on the podium, and I’m feeling really confident after this race that I can be on the top step again soon. I’m looking forward to Portugal and Morocco now!”

Skyler Howes was competitive early on, navigating the gravel tracks with confidence. However, he eventually finished the stage in sixth place, 5’09” behind Brabec. Ending the rally in fifth overall and out of podium contention, Howes now turns his focus to training during the summer break ahead of the World Rally-Raid Championship’s return in September.

Skyler Howes

“Well we made it to the finish line of the Safari Rally, it was a really fun event, a good experience and my first time here in South Africa. The organisation did a really good job of putting in a lot of effort, my team did an excellent job and my mechanic Mario, gave me a perfect bike for the entire week. I’m super happy to be a part of this team, everyone puts in so much effort. I didn’t nail it the first couple of stages and it hurt me on my times, but the last couple of days I was much better. I’ve just got to get back to work and that’s exactly what I’m doing, going to a nice training camp and working on some fitness, some bike speed and things like that. Then we go straight back to rally mode with navigation training and working on developing the rally bike to make it the best bike in the world. I’m looking forward to a very busy summer with the team and getting ready for Portugal, which is the next round and then Morocco and then it’ll be Dakar.”

Adrien Van Beveren, who began the day with a slim 25-second advantage over Brabec in the quest for the final podium spot, was optimistic aboard his Honda CRF450 RALLY. Unfortunately, technical issues with his road book tablet caused significant delays. Struggling both to fix the device and to navigate without it, Van Beveren lost valuable time and ultimately finished the stage in eighth place. It was a frustrating end to his rally, dropping him off the podium by a margin of five minutes.

Adrien Van Beveren

“It was a tough day. I attacked a lot at the beginning, I felt good on the bike and was confident. At about 70 km into the stage my road book tablet froze. I had a red cross on the screen which showed there was an issue. I didn’t know how to solve it and tried to continue looking for the tracks, but there was a lot of grass so I couldn’t see them. I stopped because I didn’t know where to go and then I finally got the tablet to work again and was able to continue. It was a big amount of time lost, but it’s part of rally now I guess, so we’ll have to accept the situation and look forward to the next race.”

In the World Rally-Raid Championship standings, Daniel Sanders now has a hefty 35-point lead over KTM team-mate Lucanio Benavides who is now is tied with Ricky Brabec on 53 points. Adrien Van Beveren follows closely, just five points behind, while Skyler Howes holds sixth place with 35 points. After withdrawing from this rally, Tosha Schareina drops from second to fifth in the standings, now sitting on 46 points.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Rally2 contender, Edgar Canet, has bounced back from injury in outstanding fashion, claiming a dominant class victory in South Africa by over 15 minutes. The young Spaniard led the Rally2 category for most of the week after securing wins on stages two, three, and four, and managed his lead expertly despite encountering some challenges on the final day. Canet continues to establish himself as a rising talent, with his full haul of points promoting him to second overall in the Rally2 standings with two rounds left to contest.

Edgar Canet

“I’m super happy to finish this race with the win in Rally2! It’s been a long week with a lot of bike time, so I’m really pleased to cross the finish line and to take the class win is amazing. I feel that I am improving so much with each race, and to finish seventh overall here in South Africa is something I’m really proud of. I’m happy for the team, we have had the best results possible, and we will continue to work hard. Bring on Portugal!”

With the European summer break ahead, riders will next return to competition at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, scheduled for 22–28 September.

South African Safari Rally Stage Five Results

1. Ricky Brabec – HRC 01:23:17
2. Daniel Sanders – KTM +42s
3. Ross Branch – Hero +2m06s
4. Luciano Benavides – KTM +2m36s
5. Bradley Cox – Sherco +3m48s
6. Skyler Howes – HRC +5m09s
7. Jose Cornejo – Hero +6m06s
8. Adrien Van Beveren – HRC +6m12s
9. Tobias Ester – Hero +7m16s
10. R Barbosa +7m54s