The 2025 Dakar Rally, a 14-day challenge across 8,000km of Saudi Arabian terrain, has ended. Yazeeh Al-Rajhi made history as the first Saudi driver to win the car category on home soil, placing in the top 10 overall. In the motorcycle class, Daniel Sanders secured KTM’s 20th Dakar victory, reinforcing its dominance in rally racing.
Sanjay Takale also made history as the first Indian driver to finish the Dakar Rally. Driving a Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ78 with co-driver Maxime Raud in the Classic category, Takale finished 18th overall. Hero MotoSports also showed strength with Jose ‘Nacho’ Cornejo finishing 7th in the motorcycle class. Takale’s achievement in the Classic Cars category highlights the growing international presence of Indian drivers and riders in the Dakar Rally.
Dakar 2025 cars winner: Yazeed Al-Rajhi
After 11 attempts, Saudi billionaire Yazeeh Al-Rajhi finally won the 2025 Dakar Rally. The race was blown wide open when favourites Carlos Sainz and Sebastien Loeb both dropped out early.
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Lategan was leading at the halfway point but lost time when he had to open the road in Stage 9. He regained the lead in Stage 10 but a tough Stage 11 gave the advantage to Al-Rajhi who held on to win by 3 minutes and 57 seconds.
Mattias Ekstrom finished third for Ford in their first full Dakar debut, Nasser Al-Attiyah finished fourth for Dacia. Al-Rajhi’s win and the strong performances of Ekstrom and Al-Attiyah show how competitive the 2025 Dakar Rally was and how new teams are rising.
Dakar 2025 bikes winner: Daniel Sanders
Daniel Sanders of KTM dominated the 2025 Dakar Rally motorcycle class, leading from start to finish – a feat not achieved since Marc Coma’s victory in 2009. The Australian rider secured five stage wins and won the title with an 8-minute and 50-second lead over Honda's Tosha Schareina. Adrien Van Beveren completed the Honda podium sweep, securing third place.
Hero MotoSports' Jose ‘Nacho’ Cornejo finished seventh, marking the team’s second-best Dakar result after Ross Branch’s second-place finish in the previous year.
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Hero MotoSports entered with a three-rider squad, but Sebastian Buhler retired in Stage 1 due to a shoulder injury. Ross Branch crashed out in Stage 6 while still in podium contention.
Sanjay Takale Becomes First Indian to Finish Dakar Rally
Sanjay Takale made history as the first Indian to complete the prestigious Dakar Rally. With technical support from the French team Compagnie Saharienne, Takale competed in the Dakar Classic category, reserved for vehicles built before 2005. This category follows a route designed for older vehicles, presenting unique challenges.
The Dakar Classic uses a regularity rally format, known as Time-Speed-Distance (TSD), where competitors must maintain a precise average speed and meet strict time limits. Takale started Stage 1 in 37th place and steadily climbed the ranks. A top-five finish in the final stage saw him secure 18th place overall.
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