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Viernes, 17 de enero 2025, 10:00
Without reaching the traditional parade and champagne stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, the final day of the Dakar 2025 was a triumphant march for its contenders to the finish line. The 61 timed kilometres that concluded this edition of the world's toughest rally crowned the new champions, with Daniel Sanders in bikes and Yazeed Al Rajhi in cars.
In the two-wheel category, there were no surprises or last-minute scares. Sanders and Schareina, who started last by the organisation's decision (establishing that the top 15 would do so), took a leisurely ride without taking any risks in the final loop of Shubaytah. Their only challenge over the difficult dunes of the Empty Quarter was not to fall or suffer a serious incident, and they succeeded.
For the Australian, it was a final vindication after an almost perfect Dakar. Leading from the outset, he clinched his first 'touareg', the 20th and possibly last for KTM as an official manufacturer, given the crisis the Austrian company is facing, which may lead to its practical disappearance. Sanders follows in the footsteps of Dakar legends like Fabrizio Meoni, Cyril Despres, Richard Sainct, Marc Coma, or more recent figures like Sam Sunderland or his compatriot and good friend Toby Price, among others. Raised in sports with KTM, in his fifth participation (second with the 'purebred' brand after three years with the GasGas subsidiary), Sanders reaches glory after being a rookie in the edition he debuted, 2021, a severe accident in 2022 that forced him to pack his bags, food poisoning in 2023, and an improvable 8th in 2024.
Now, as a crowned champion, 'Chucky' (his personal nickname and commercial brand of honey he produces) will have to prove that this Dakar was not a stroke of luck, but the culmination of many years of work. "When I came out of the dunes, I saw the bivouac and was super nervous. I couldn't believe it and all the emotions started flowing. I had the finish line in sight... it's the greatest stress in the world of off-road motorcycling. Winning the ISDE enduro and now the Dakar means achieving all the goals I had set in my career. It's quite an achievement and the reward for a lot of hard work... especially after the last few years where I've had many setbacks," the new emperor of Dakar in bikes was emotional.
Alongside him on the final podium, nearly 9 minutes behind, was Tosha Schareina. The Valencian has definitively confirmed himself as Spain's great hope after Joan Barreda's departure and has taken his battle against Sanders to the last moments. He already warned on Thursday after the great day in the Rub al-Khali desert that he had fallen a bit short and that, perhaps, with a couple more minutes cut, he would have dared not to respect the unofficial truce that this last day usually is. Beyond the result, Schareina can feel more than satisfied with his evolution in the Dakar. In just three years, he has gone from not having a mount to register to being Honda's leader, having surpassed the likes of Adrien Van Beveren, final bronze in the general, or the 2024 champion, Ricky Brabec, fifth, with the poise of a veteran reference.
Among the positive surprises of this Dakar in Spanish terms is the performance of the very young Edgar Canet. At 19, the youngest rider of this edition won the Rally2 category and ends his first participation in the rally with a more than memorable eighth place, making him the best 'rookie' of 2025. When KTM signed him at the last moment to race the Dakar, there were many looks of astonishment, but under the patronage of legends like Nani Roma, whom he considers a sporting father (he has been mentoring him since he was 10), he has confirmed himself as one of the great promises for the future.
Yazeed Al Rajhi is an example of the new Saudi elite. Son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Rajhi, one of the country's most important businessmen and a member of the close circle of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, he has been a strong candidate to win for years. He only needed the top contenders to falter for him to seize glory in the Dakar.
In this case, everything fell into place for him. With an official Toyota team that, despite having the most representatives, no longer has top-tier drivers, and Dacia and Ford still emerging as their own structures, Al Rajhi was finally accompanied by luck. Always overexcited, the now veteran 43-year-old driver capitalised on the difference he managed to make up the previous day against Henk Lategan. The South African was disadvantaged by the setup of this Dakar, as he confessed on Thursday, he has no experience in dunes, the terrain on which the last stage was held.
It's time to think about 2026. The old Spanish wolves, Nani Roma and Carlos Sainz, will return to the sands once more in January to prove that in the Dakar they are still contenders for everything and that Ford is worth it. It might be the last dance for both, but with them, few dare to close the book on a legendary career.
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