After two weeks of hard slog through the deserts of Saudi Arabia , the 47th edition of the Dakar Rally saw Honda taking two steps on the podium , but not the one they wanted . The top step went back to KTM for 2025 , courtesy of Australian Daniel Sanders . In its sixth year in the dunes of Saudi Arabia , the 2025 edition was the toughest Dakar so far – with over 8000km of racing , including more than 5000km of special stages . Last year saw the introduction a new format to add some spice ; a 48-hour Chrono stage during which the competitors are split across several bivouacs - away from their teams . This was kept for 2025 and the 48-hour Chrono stage was a gruelling 1058km long . Almost 40 % of the field dropped out across the rally ’ s two gruelling weeks in the desert . Daniel Sanders said , “ So , we have just won the Dakar Rally ! It ’ s a massive accomplishment from myself and the team after a tough year , and I can ’ t thank everyone enough for the support . It ’ s been a long journey , and I can ’ t wait to celebrate with everyone ! Now it ’ s time to kick