New day at Dakar and new winner: Lorenzo Santolino won the third stage in this year’s edition of the competition, becoming the first to beat Daniel Sanders so far in 2025. The leader ended 23rd and lost a lot of time but still secured the overall position, in first.
On a day when riders faced a stage with 963 total kilometers, including 327 of special stage, Santolino (Sherco) was the main highlight, finishing the day, which started in Bisha and concluded in Al Henakiyah, in 3h44m34s, marking a difference of 1m21s over Bradley Cox (BAS KTM).
Completing the podium was Ricky Brabec (Honda), who crossed the finish line 4m01s behind Santolino, while Skyler Howes (Honda) finished fourth, ahead of Ross Branch (Hero).
Luciano Benavides (KTM), Stefan Svitko (Slovnaft Rally), Pablo Quintanilla (Honda), Edgar Canet (KTM), and Martin Michek (Orion – Racing) secured, in that order, the remaining top ten positions.
It’s worth noting that many riders who have been standouts and prominent figures in the Dakar had a more challenging day. This is evidenced by Adrien Van Beveren’s 12th place, Michael Docherty’s (BAS KTM) 13th, Tosha Schareina’s (Honda) 17th, and Daniel Sanders’ (KTM) 23rd place finish.
In the general classification, Sanders remains the leader but now sees Howes closer, 1m57s behind, and Branch at 2m05s. Brabec (+4m21s) and Schareina (+8m17s) complete the top five.
