Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Daniel “Chucky” Sanders has officially secured the 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship after a dominant performance at Rally Raid Portugal – the fourth round of the season.
Unbeaten all year, Sanders set the tone by topping the prologue and winning three of the five stages, eventually claiming the rally by more than three minutes and wrapping up the championship one round early.
The Australian star’s flawless season started with a career-first win at the Dakar Rally, followed by victories at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the South African Rally, all aboard the KTM 450 RALLY he helped to develop.
“It’s a dream come true… The race here went so well, the bike was perfect, and the team worked incredibly hard. Rally can be unpredictable, so to have this level of consistency is rare,” Sanders shared after lifting the crown.
Strong Team Effort
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Luciano Benavides grew faster as the week went on and snatched the final-stage win, finishing 3rd overall in Portugal and keeping P2 in the RallyGP standings ahead of Rallye du Maroc.
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Rising talent Edgar Canet impressed in Rally2, winning all but one stage in his class and taking the category lead heading to Morocco.
Team manager Andreas Hölzl praised the trio’s effort: “From Dakar onwards, Daniel managed everything perfectly. Luciano had the pace to finish on the podium, and Edgar showed great maturity – it’s been an incredible week for the whole team.”
With just the Rallye du Maroc left on the calendar, Sanders’ early coronation caps a historic streak for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – and fans now wait to see if the winning run continues in October.
