Daniel Sanders Extends Lead with Stage 3 Victory at South African Safari Rally

Daniel Sanders has extended his overall lead at the 2025 South African Safari Rally, dominating a challenging Stage 3 despite the freezing conditions and opening the special from start to finish.

The Australian rider blitzed the 246-kilometre timed section to claim his 18th RallyGP win in the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), pulling clear of Luciano Benavides by 2′48″ in the general classification.

“It was such a frosty morning that even my undies were frozen!” Sanders joked after the stage. “I powered through the day dodging ostriches, warthogs, cows, donkeys and horses. It’s pretty sketchy when you’re doing 140kmh and a herd starts charging at you on the track. Two days left of racing, let’s go.”

The day began with temperatures plummeting overnight at the marathon bivouac, forcing riders to defrost gear before tackling the third stage. After a short 9 km road link, they launched into a grueling 246 km special through savannahs and remote villages, winding toward the Botswanan border. With tight gateways and termite mounds to dodge, precision and concentration were crucial. A 263 km liaison followed, leading them back to the warmth of the Sun City bivouac.

Luciano Benavides looked poised to take his first stage win of the rally after holding the lead through the opening 90 kilometres. The Argentinian kept the pace high early on, navigating cleanly and pushing hard through the savannah terrain. However, as the stage progressed, Sanders, opening the road solo, steadily chipped away at the gap before overhauling him in the closing kilometres. Despite the challenge, Benavides rode strongly to secure second on the stage.

Ross Branch put in a strong effort to chase down Sanders, finishing 2′39″ adrift in third. It marked a heroic comeback for the Botswanan rider, who had lost over an hour in Stage 2 due to a damaged oil cooler. “Stage 3 was a long and gruelling marathon, and yesterday was particularly challenging. At just 14 kilometres in, an unfortunate incident damaged the oil cooler. I lost an hour and a half fixing it, but it wasn’t a mechanical fault — just sheer bad luck,” said Branch. “I rode nearly 600 kilometres without an oil cooler by bypassing it, and the machine held up incredibly well. Huge thanks to our amazing technicians, mechanics, and the entire Hero MotoSports team for building such a robust machine.”

Ricky Brabec finished fourth on the day but moved back onto the overall podium in third. A strong start saw the American flying early, but a crash and an exhaust issue later in the stage slowed his charge. “I’m happy to be back, it’s a bit warmer here than on the marathon night and so I’m looking forward to some good sleep. The special wasn’t too long at 260 km, but the liaison afterwards was pretty brutal,” Brabec explained. “I just tried to push the last 60 km but got ahead of myself and made a couple of mistakes. I crashed once and then had an exhaust issue, which I needed to pull over and fix.”

Adrien Van Beveren, who had been running second in the general standings, dropped to fourth overall after a couple of navigation errors cost him time. “We had a special experience last night close to the animals at the marathon camp. We slept in the tent and it was really cold, but luckily I could manage to keep warm during the night in my sleeping bag,” he said. “I really tried to push today… but did two navigation mistakes which lost me some time. It’s the same for everybody, this is part of rally racing.”

Skyler Howes ended the day sixth, struggling with the demanding navigation and terrain. “It was really cold up there at the lion camp that we were staying at. This is turning out to be a proper rally,” Howes said. “I haven’t done a perfect job so far, a few mistakes today navigation-wise… I’m looking forward to making some improvements and finishing these last two days on a strong note.”

Local favourite Bradley Cox was seventh on stage, continuing to impress on his new Sherco. This marks his debut rally with the French manufacturer, following in the footsteps of fellow South African Wade Young, who signed with Sherco in hard enduro back in 2016.

Nacho Cornejo delivered another consistent ride to finish eighth, while Tobias Ebster lost time due to a tablet display issue that disrupted his roadbook navigation. His time is expected to be adjusted after officials review the stoppage. “I made a navigation error early on, which meant riding in the dust for most of the day,” said Ebster. “Towards the end, I was able to find a good rhythm again. With two more stages to go, I’ll give it my best to improve on the results.”

In Rally2, Edgar Canet claimed a third consecutive stage win, finishing 3′36″ ahead of Michael Docherty and 6′02″ clear of Chilean up-and-comer Ruy Barbosa.

With just two days of racing remaining, Sanders sits in control at the front, but with Benavides, Brabec, and Van Beveren all within striking distance, the fight for the South African Safari Rally crown is far from over.

Tomorrow’s penultimate stage will push the field even harder, covering a 470 km liaison and a 224 km special through shifting terrain, from open grasslands to rocky mountain passes along the edge of Botswana. It promises to be a pivotal day in what is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling W2RC events of the season.