Summarize

Australian KTM hero Daniel Sanders took the first hat trick of Dakar bike stage wins since 2017 to extend his unbeaten streak on the 1000 km two-day 48H Chrono stage on Monday morning. In what appeared more a bracket race than a speed contest, riders jockeyed to maximise Dakar’s bonus time system. Botswana’s Ross Branch enjoyed another positive ride to fifth, but South African Michael Docherty was the hero of the day as he led the way on real time en route to a splendid Rally 2 win.

Having spent the night in one of the seven no-assistance Chrono bivouacs, riders started the second half of the stage bright and early Monday, with the leaders facing a 250 km dash back to Bisha in the Saudi desert. It was a game of chess up front as ever, as the bike leaders rode in a bunch, balancing pure pace with time bonuses paid to those opening the road as the order remained static up front. 

Overnight leader Sanders led 2024 winner, Californian Ricky Brabec’s Honda and Botswana World Champion Branch on his Hero Moto. Bonus hero Spaniard Tosha Schareina amassed nearly eight minutes of handout time to move up to fourth from Honda teammate Skyler Howes, while rookie Edgar Canet moved ahead of South African Michael Docherty in Rally 2, and SA privateer Bradley Cox sat 12th on their KTMs. 

Sanders piled on the pressure as the day wore on, while Howes moved up to second, but South African Rally 2 star Docherty was the real man on the move in third. And that without any bonus time assistance. Otherwise Docherty would have led the stage from the bonus-assisted Sanders, Luciano Benavides, Branch, Brabec and second Rally 2 lad Canet, 100 km from home.

That last sector shook things up a little as Sanders stormed home to the first Dakar bike stage hat trick in eight years. Behind him Honda rider Adrien van Beveren truly mastered the art of gathering bonus time to pop up in second thanks to those gimme ten and a half minutes, from Howes. The other bonus master Schareina followed from Branch, Benavides and Rally 2 hero Docherty, who slipped back to sixth but still won his class.

That leaves Sanders in a twelve and a half minute Dakar lead from Howes, with Branch and Schareina within ten seconds, and Brabec not far off in fifth. Top privateer Brad Cox sits 11th overall, while Docherty moves up to second behind Edgar Canet in Rally 2 in 13th overall. Their SA compatriots, Aron Mare provisionally rides in 34th, Dwain Barnard 64th and Willem Avenant 112th. 

Many observers remain puzzled by a Dakar bonus system that appears to skew the results, which could so easily be averted by simply allowing the top ten to choose their starting positions. Now that would be real racing! Another monster 495 km stage of dirt, gravel and sand awaits as Dakar 2025 finally packs up from Bisha and heads to Al Henakiyah on Tuesday.