Red Bull KTM Factory Racing officially announce the three-rider team of Kevin Benavides, Luciano Benavides, and Daniel Sanders for the 2025 Dakar Rally – momentum with Sanders after Morocco win but questions remain about K Ben’s fitness. 

KTM Factory Racing are claiming a strong testing and training programme leading up to the 2025 Dakar Rally, round one of the World Rally Raid Championship. They’ll need it to be frank with a combination of a dominant Honda team to deal with and successive injuries for their riders in the new-look team – as a reminder KTM is the only official Austrian team in Dakar this year after Husqvarna and GASGAS were put back in their boxes.

They have got experience, speed and a trio of world champions on their side which counts for a lot. So too does having riders fit, although the two-time Dakar winner, Kevin Benavides, has question marks over his fitness after “an intense programme of training and recovery” to get over a tortured ’24 season which saw him seriously lacking in race time.

“My preparation and training has been really positive,” says Kevin, “I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym and cycling and I have prioritised recovery too. Combining that with time on my bike has worked well, and I’m feeling ready. 

“Ahead of Dakar, I don’t have many expectations because I like to surprise myself every day, but the fight to win is now greater than ever, that’s for sure. I will give 100% every day and see where we go from there. Over the past two years I have learned the importance of keeping myself fit and riding smart to avoid injuries, because I want to keep doing what I love for as long as possible.”

Sanders with the momentum after Morocco win

Victorious at the last major W2RC race leading up to Dakar ’25, Rally du Maroc, Daniel Sanders has the momentum heading to Saudi. A stage winner at previous Dakars, the Australian was also hampered by injuries last year but played a smart game to finish and get valuable desert time in the bag. 

“We had some really great training as a team in America, with a lot of roadbook work over pretty demanding terrain to get us ready for Dakar.” Says Sanders. “I feel even more comfortable on the bike since Morocco, and physically I’m feeling fit and strong too. The team have put in a lot of hard work to get the bike completely dialled in and I’ve spent a lot of hours on it testing and making sure it’s perfect. 

“I think I have a really good chance of getting on the podium this year at Dakar, but of course you have to take it day by day. The first week looks tough and quite intense with both the chrono and marathon stages, but I am really looking forward to it. I’m more determined than ever to put KTM back on the top step, so my win in Morocco was a huge confidence boost in that sense. I can’t wait to get to Saudi and start the new year with a bang!”

Fresh off a solid third place result at the Rallye du Maroc, his first outing back riding the KTM 450 Rally, Luciano Benavides will tackle the 2025 Dakar alongside his brother in orange but in reality the set-up will be pretty similar if not identical for the Argentinians who traditionally share a camper at the rally. 

Not without his own injuries, the 2023 FIM Rally-Raid World Champion and a multiple Dakar stage winner, says testing went well: “Testing went really well, and I’m feeling ready for the big one! I’ve been super busy preparing and training for Dakar with a lot of bike time in the desert in Argentina, Chile, and America, as well as a lot of cycling. 

“My first goal for this Dakar is to arrive feeling 100%, because then I know I can perform at the top. It’s a long race, so we have to take it day by day, but I want to be competitive throughout. From my experience of previous Dakars, I know that you have to be able to bounce back from any bad days, stay focused and remember the ultimate goal, which is to win. I  feel great and have put so much work in both mentally and physically to be up for it.”

Digital roadbooks a reality

Starting January 3, the event will commence with a short prologue, after which competitors will tackle 12 stages spanning nearly 8000km, 5000 of which are timed special stages up around and back down Saudi Arabia.

The 2025 race will be the first in history where the bike categories must use the digital roadbooks instead of the paper reel type. Competitors are used to it by now but some still complain about the the ability to see it well enough when sun glare and dust are factored in. 

This year’s Dakar will also feature a 48-hour chrono stage on just days two and three, followed almost instantly by the marathon stage – it will be a tough first week although last year’s first running of the Chrono stage saw the top riders nail a huge distance on day on, the first half of one stage, that day two was relatively easy and saw an early finish. 

The rest day in Ha’il on January 10 will be welcomed by all, but the second week’s seven stages culminate with some tough days in the huge dunes of the Empty Quarter before the finish in Shubaytah on January 17.

Andreas Hölzl – Rally Team Manager: “Now we’re ready to race the 2025 Dakar! We have a really strong team, especially after Daniel’s win in Morocco, which proved that we have what it takes to be back on the podium. Daniel and Luciano have been training hard and are super motivated, and Kevin is a fighter so even though it will be tough, we have every faith that all three of them can perform. We can’t wait to get started!”

Photo Credit: Sebas Romero