A true champion's spirit shines through the pain: Daniel Sanders' Dakar Rally journey takes a turn.
Australian motorcycling legend Daniel Sanders, the reigning world champion, has vowed to continue his Dakar Rally quest despite a devastating crash that left him with a broken collarbone and sternum. This setback, however, hasn't dampened his determination to finish what he started.
Despite the excruciating pain that lies ahead in the final stages of the race across the Saudi Arabian desert, Sanders remains resolute. He's not one to give up easily, and he's determined to see this grueling race through to the end.
"We don't quit," he declares. "My parents raised me to be resilient, and I'm not about to quit now unless someone forces me to. I'm in this till the very end."
The 31-year-old Sanders was leading the race by a comfortable margin when disaster struck. While navigating a high-speed section over a massive dune, he lost control and suffered a heavy crash on his Red Bull KTM bike. With the help of rival Ricky Brabec, he managed to remount, but the damage was done. He finished 28 minutes behind stage winner Adrien van Beveren, dropping from first to fourth overall.
Sanders now trails the new leader, American two-time winner Brabec, by a significant margin of 17:37.
"It's clear my left collarbone is broken," Sanders confirmed. "The crash was scary, and I almost landed on Tosha Schareina. I knew my collarbone was fractured, and my sternum too. It's a real challenge to ride with no power."
Despite the pain, Sanders is determined to keep going. He knows he won't be the first man in 11 years to win the Dakar motorbike race consecutively, but that doesn't deter him.
"My focus now is on managing the pain and finishing the Dakar," he said. "It's a bitter pill to swallow after being in such a strong position, but quitting is not an option. I'm proud I pushed through today, and I'll keep that mindset going."
Sanders believes the upcoming rocky stages will be more manageable than the sand dunes he just endured.
"It's all rocks from here on, so I can stand up and cruise. If it were sand dunes, it'd be a different story," he explained. "But now we're past the dunes, we're on to gravel roads, which is a bit easier. But we'll see... I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to continue."
This is a tough blow for Sanders, who has dominated rally-raid racing after winning four out of five world championship races last year. In 2022, he fractured his elbow and wrist in a Dakar crash. In 2023, he battled food poisoning and a thorn in his arm muscle. And in 2024, he broke his leg during pre-race training but still finished eighth.
Meanwhile, in the car race, Qatari legend Nasser Al-Attiyah has retaken the lead, moving closer to his sixth Dakar triumph after finishing second on the stage to Mathieu Serradori.
AAP
