Speed, adventure, navigation and many hours in the saddle are all things associated with the incredible sport of Rally. Pushing both man and machine to the extreme, rally competitions are among the toughest events on the planet. Riders use roadbooks for navigation while racing at high speeds across varying terrain in some of the most challenging conditions. The most famous and prestigious event on the rally calendar is the Dakar Rally, which takes place annually in January and is followed by sports fans around the world. KTM has enjoyed great success at the event with an impressive 18 consecutive victories between 2001 and 2019.
In 2025, Daniel Sanders had an incredible season winning both the 2025 Dakar Rally, and the 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship. Meanwhile, Edgar Canet won the 2025 FIM Rally2 World Cup. Luciano Benavides was in a tight fight for 2nd overall in the World Championship before a crash at the finale, Rallye du Maroc.
As of this year, KTM has a total of 20 Dakar Rally victories!
The 2026 Dakar Rally will run for 15 days, from January 3 to January 17, covering a total distance of approximately 8,000 kilometers, with approximately 5,000 kilometers of timed racing stages. The event will feature 13 competitive stages and a rest day in Riyadh, with the start and finish both in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.
After the 2026 Dakar Rally, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will move their focus to the 2026 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship which consists of five rounds across four continents, with the season running from January 3 to November 27, 2026. Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders will look to defend his crown, while Edgar Canet, the reigning FIM W2RC Rally2 World Cup Winner moves up to the RallyGP class, and Luciano ‘Faster’ Benavides looks to win his second FIM World Rally-Raid Championship title.
The 2025 Dakar Rally is certainly one for the history books, with Daniel Sanders claiming KTM Factory Racing’s 20th victory at the iconic event after leading from the very first day. Not only this, 19-year-old Edgar Canet dominated on his Dakar debut to bring home the Rally2 trophy. From the pre-season photoshoot to the epic finish line celebrations, here is the story of how we won the 2025 Dakar Rally!
Earlier this month, Daniel Sanders led Red Bull Factory Racing to victory at the 2025 Dakar Rally, securing KTM’s 20th win at the event. Sanders claimed five stage victories and dominated the race from start to finish, winning by nearly nine minutes. Rookie Edgar Canet impressed by topping the Rally2 category with four stage wins and finishing eighth overall. Luciano Benavides achieved his best Dakar result in fourth place after back-to-back stage wins. Despite withdrawing early, Kevin Benavides showed resilience with strong performances in the first week.