“Difficult to get back to the top”

If it wasn't for an unfortunate pavement and, more critically, a lack of clarity on a beautiful January morning during the liaison, who knows how the Dakar could have ended for Daniel Sanders? Perhaps on the top step of the podium in Jeddah? That morning, the day after the rest day, the Australian rider was in third place in the general classification after he had won two of the first six stages. His second Dakar ended in hospital with a fractured elbow and left wrist. What followed was an almost non-existent season due to complications with his elbow. Sanders only competed in and won the Hattah Desert race in Australia and comes to the Dakar in doubt, while his principal rivals are coming off a complete W2RC season. The Melbourne native is, nevertheless, the embodiment of the new generation of riders. It's easy to make a comparison between Toby Price and Daniel Sanders. Both are Australian, both are fast, and both have long hair. And they were teammates at KTM Red Bull at the start of the 2021 Dakar. And the comparison doesn't stop there, considering Sanders' result at the end of his first Dakar. Price finished on the podium, but Sanders wasn't far off. Without no previous rally-raid experience, Sanders finished an impressive 4th in Jeddah. He now has to do at least as well as his illustrious elder.

“My year was a bit of a disaster. I got a great start to the Dakar with two stage wins and was in third place on the rest day. On day seven, I crashed on the road and destroyed my left elbow, which unfortunately put me out of the race. I went home and had a second operation. I missed Abu Dhabi. I started training for a desert event in Australia and won the Hattah Desert Race. That was really cool. Then I went to America to test, and when I returned home, I had a check-up X-ray and discovered that I had torn my elbow again, unfortunately. I needed another operation, and plates were used to hold it in place. I had another operation, and everything is fine now. I will be ready for the race. The goal for the next five years is to win five Dakars, which would obviously be the best scenario. But it will be a tall order to do that. I haven't ridden for nine months. It will be a struggle for me to get back to where I was. I am ready for the challenge and desperately want to finish the Dakar. I don't need the speed I had this year to be competitive. I need to play it a little smarter. I didn't have any luck this year, so I think I will be able to come back strong and get a good result. For the next few years, I want to finish every Dakar and get on the podium as often as possible. I'm super excited about fighting. It is what I live for every year: to compete and reach the finish. I am determined to give it my all this year. I definitely have a good chance to challenge for victory.”