Daniel Sanders looks towards Dakar defence after standout 2025

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Daniel Sanders

FIM Awards 2025

Daniel Sanders capped a defining year in his rally career by receiving the 2025 FIM RallyGP World Championship medal during the FIM Awards in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Australian rider was recognised for a season in which he delivered consistent speed, accurate navigation and race management, placing him at the forefront of the discipline.

Red Bull KTM rider Daniel Sanders holding his FIM medal during the 2025 awards ceremony in Lausanne.

A Career Milestone for the Australian Rider

Sanders’ RallyGP title marks the most significant achievement of his career so far. Having progressed through Australian off-road racing and later moving to international enduro and rally competition, he joined the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rally programme five years ago.

His rise has been steady rather than sudden, marked by stage-winning pace at Dakar, key navigational strengths and an ability to recover from setbacks, including previous injuries that briefly interrupted his momentum.

In 2025, Sanders put all those elements together. His wins at the Dakar Rally and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge set the tone for the season.

Daniel Sanders won the 2025 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

He then prevailed at the first South African Safari Rally and maintained control at the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, securing the world title before the final round.

Daniel Sanders - South African Safari Rally Winner

Chucky’s run of stage victories also set new championship benchmarks, confirming his status as the most consistent rider across the year’s 37 timed specials.

A Year That Reinforced KTM’s Rally Legacy

Sanders’ title also adds another chapter to KTM’s long-standing success in rally. The manufacturer has claimed 21 Dakar victories since 2001 and has been a regular force in the World Rally-Raid Championship.

Daniel Sanders standing on stage at the FIM Awards after winning the 2025 RallyGP World Championship.

The 2025 season gave the Austrian marque its first W2RC constructors’ title under the latest format, thanks to Sanders and teammates Luciano Benavides and Edgar Canet, who also won the Rally2 World Cup.

KTM Rally Team Manager Andreas Hölzl noted the importance of the combined effort, highlighting the collaboration between riders, race engineers and the development staff responsible for refining the KTM 450 RALLY platform.

Andreas Hölzl – Rally Team Manager for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

“We came back in 2025, and from day one things went really well. The guys did a great job and the riders pushed really hard. They told us what we needed to do to build a perfect, comfortable bike for them, and that’s exactly what we did! Hard work paid off. We’re super proud of that, super happy for the brand. There’s a whole team, a constructor full of enthusiasm, behind this success and these race wins. It all comes down to what we put in. The season started perfectly in Dakar, with Daniel leading from day one until the end. He did the same in the W2RC championship. Luciano is a great guy and he did an awesome job, earning some important points. There’s a lot of work behind all this. It’s not just the team doing the racing part; there’s also the team inside the company, working full gas every day. We’re super happy and proud about our season.”

Reflecting on his championship, Sanders said consistency was the key factor across the five-round season. He also pointed to the value of long-term development work with KTM, acknowledging the collective effort behind both the riders’ and constructors’ titles.

Daniel Sanders – 2025 FIM W2RC RallyGP World Champion

“It was an incredible season. We had five great races and stayed consistent throughout the whole year, riding fast and navigating well. It paid off, allowing us to wrap up the World Championship one round early. We worked really hard last year, and since I’ve been part of the rally-raid team for the last five years. It’s been fantastic to help develop a bike as good as this one, and the crew deserved the title. It’s a team effort, so earning both the riders’ and constructors’ titles means a lot. We’re now ready to go again next year! Dakar is coming up soon, so we need to perform well and stay consistent, which is the hardest part of rally-raid. We’ve celebrated our success, it’s time to put the past behind us and get back to work in order to continue like this.”