SANDERS SAFELY THROUGH PENULTIMATE STAGE OF THE 2023 DAKAR RALLY

That’s the penultimate stage at the Dakar Rally done and dusted. After posting the 11th fastest time, Daniel Sanders now lies in a comfortable seventh overall. As the second rider to enter stage 13, Sanders quickly formed a trio with two other leading riders and together they ripped through the rolling sand dunes of the Empty Quarter for one last time. In the process, Daniel increased his advantage over eighth place from just over three minutes to almost six, ahead of tomorrow’s final - a fairly simple looking special. Bring it home, Chucky.

• Sanders completes penultimate stage at the Dakar
• Red Bull GASGAS star enjoys another challenging special
• Just 281 kilometers separate Chucky from the finish line

Daniel Sanders: “It was a pretty tricky but enjoyable day up front today. The dunes were really soft which made it hard to maintain a fast pace while trying to navigate, and between the waypoints there were some big gaps, which added to the difficulty. But I pushed on the best I could to not lose too much time and I think I did a pretty good job. There were definitely a few close calls out there but that’s all part of the fun of riding through the dunes!”

Stage 13 and the penultimate day of racing at the Dakar saw Sanders once again help to open the special following his strong runner-up finish yesterday. Setting off into the 154-kilometer special stage with no lines to follow, Chucky demonstrated some impressive navigation skills to bring his awesome RX 450F home just under five minutes adrift of the stage winner. And now, after covering just over 7,600 kilometers so far in this year’s event, just 417 kilometers separate Daniel from the finish line in Dammam.

Results (provisional): Dakar Rally 2023, stage 13
1. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 2:21:47
2. Michael Docherty (Husqvarna) 2:22:14
3. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 2:22:44
11. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 2:26:46

Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 13)
1. Toby Price (KTM) 43:11:51
2. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 43:12:03
3. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 43:13:22
7. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 43:34:25