The 14-day Dakar Rally 2025, which spanned 8,000 kilometers of Saudi Arabian terrain, has concluded. Yazeeh Al-Rajhi made history by becoming the first Saudi driver to win the Auto category on home soil and finish in the top ten overall. In the motorcycle category, Daniel Sanders secured a 20th Dakar victory for KTM, consolidating its dominance in the rally.
Sanjay Takale also created history by becoming the first Indian driver to complete the Dakar Rally. Takale finished 18th in the Classic class in a Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ78 with co-driver Maxime Raud. Hero MotoSports also showed their strength with Jose ‘Nacho’ Cornejo finishing seventh in the moto class. Thakale’s achievement in the classic car category highlights the growing international profile of Indian drivers and drivers in the Dakar Rally.
2025 Dakar Champion: Yazeed Al-Rajhi
After 11 attempts, Saudi billionaire Yazeeh Al-Rajhi finally won the 2025 Dakar Rally. The race was heavily hyped when favorites Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Loeb both pulled out early.
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Ratgan led at the halfway mark but lost time when the road had to be opened on stage 9. He regained the lead on stage 10, but a difficult stage 11 gave Al-Rajhi the advantage, who won by 3 minutes and 57 seconds.
Mattias Ekstrom finished third for Ford on his Dakar debut, Nasser Al-Attiyah fourth for Dacia . Al-Rajhi’s victory and the strong performances of Ekstrom and Al-Attiyah show just how competitive the 2025 Dakar Rally is and the rise of new teams.
2025 Dakar Champion: Daniel Saunders
KTM’s Daniel Sanders dominated the 2025 Dakar Rally motorcycle class, leading from start to finish for the first time since Marc Coma’s victory in 2009 A feat that has never been achieved. The Australian rider won five stages and took the title by 8 minutes and 50 seconds over Honda’s Tosha Schareina. Adrien Van Beveren swept the Honda podium to finish third.
Hero MotoSports’ Jose ‘Nacho’ Cornejo finished seventh, the team’s second-best finish at the Dakar after Ross Branch’s second place last year.
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Hero MotoSports fielded three riders but Sebastian Buhler retired with a shoulder injury on the first stage. Ross Branch was still fighting for the podium when he fell on stage six.
Sanjay Takale becomes first Indian to complete Dakar Rally
Sanjay Takale created history by becoming the first Indian to complete the famous Dakar Rally. With technical support from French team Compagnie Saharienne, Takale competes in the Dakar Classic category, which is reserved for vehicles produced before 2005. This category follows a route designed for older vehicles, posing unique challenges.
The Dakar Classic uses a regulated rally format called Time-Speed-Distance (TSD), where competitors must maintain a precise average speed and meet strict time limits. Takale started the first stage in 37th place and steadily climbed the rankings. He moved into the top five in the closing stages and finished 18th.
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