2025 marks new opportunities for us all and there might be no one embodying that more so far this ear than the Yarra Valley’s own Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders.
The Three Bridges local is once again taking on the sands of Saudi Arabia for the starting event of this year’s World Rally-Raid Championship, the Dakar Rally and has carried on his fine form from his Rallye Du Maroc win in October.
Sanders has gone out and won all of the first three stages of the race; the prologue, Stage One and the marathon 967km Stage Two to open up a commanding overall lead.
Sanders finished 12 seconds in front of both World Rally-Raid Championship winner Ross Branch and prodigious young Spanish talent Edgar Canet in the prologue.
Sanders did his chances no harm with an outstanding performance in Stage One in Bisha where he extended his lead to two minutes and 22 seconds ahead of second-best overall racer Ricky Brabec and created a remarkable 25-minute gap between himself and the tenth-placed rider.
Starting seventh of all riders ahead of the demanding Stage Two did nothing to stop Sanders, as he stormed home for a third consecutive stage victory and a commanding 12 minute and 36-second lead over American Skyler Howes
Speaking after Stage Two, Sanders said it wasn’t too bad, pretty hard in the soft dunes, it was very tough for a lot of us.
“When opening, you didn’t know if it was going to be a soft dune or a hard dune. It was pretty tough. The dust kind of ruined it a lot. It would have been cool to have a bit of a wetter area, compared to last year in the dunes where it was pretty even,” he said.
“But everyone was bunched up fighting in the dust for the opening bonuses. It was a bit tough on that side, but overall the body feels good and I don’t feel tired at all, I just saved a lot of energy ready for next week,”
“The rest of the guys will be starting back and I’ll have to open the next stage, so it’s just how it’s worked these first few days. It was good to get the stage win, but it was on me to decide whether I wanted today or not, but I’m committed and ready to take on the challenge tomorrow.”
