Van Beveren claims victory, drama for Sanders in stage 10

Stage ten of the Dakar Rally in the bike category has completely reshuffled the standings once again. In the dunes on the way to Bisha, Adrien Van Beveren took control of the day, while defending champion Daniel Sanders suffered a major setback. Luciano Benavides also endured a difficult stage, but managed to limit the damage in a day marked by incidents and shifting positions.

Van Beveren dominant in the white sand

Adrien Van Beveren clearly felt at home in the soft, white sand of the special stage. The French rider from Monster Energy Honda HRC steadily built his advantage and eventually crossed the finish line as the winner. He beat Luciano Benavides by 4 minutes and 4 seconds, Skyler Howes by 4 minutes and 51 seconds, and Ricky Brabec by 5 minutes and 26 seconds. For Van Beveren, it was the seventh Dakar stage win of his career and also the first French bike victory of this edition, achieved on a symbolic day, exactly forty years after the death of Dakar founder Thierry Sabine.

Black day for Sanders

The biggest loser of the day was Daniel Sanders. The Australian, who started the stage as overall leader, suffered a heavy crash in the dunes around kilometer 138. Although he was able to continue, he was in severe pain in his left shoulder and lost a significant amount of time. Sanders reached the finish more than 25 minutes behind Van Beveren and dropped out of the top of the general classification. He now trails Luciano Benavides by 16 minutes and 41 seconds. With only three stages remaining, his chances of victory appear to have slipped away.

According to Benavides, the situation of his teammate was concerning. “I think Sanders broke his collarbone or something. He was in a lot of pain,” the Argentine said after the finish.

Benavides struggles but recovers

Luciano Benavides himself also did not have a flawless day. The KTM rider crashed in the dunes and got stuck several times in the soft sand, costing him a few minutes. After a difficult phase, however, he quickly regrouped and delivered a strong second half of the stage. His second place on the day kept him firmly in contention for the overall win.

Thanks to Sanders’ time loss, Benavides virtually took the lead in the standings, but that position remains uncertain. Ricky Brabec stopped during the stage to assist Sanders after his crash and is expected to receive time back for that effort. The provisional gaps are minimal, and the final classification will only be confirmed after verification of the GPS data.

Docherty strongest, again

In the Rally2 class, Michael Docherty was once again the standout performer. The South African on the BAS World KTM led for a long time and finished with a 53 second advantage over teammate Toni Mulec, securing a one two result for BAS World KTM. Paolo Lucci completed the podium more than five minutes back. Neels Theric was forced to abandon the stage early due to engine problems, but as a Rally2 rider, he is allowed to restart tomorrow.

Standings wide open

After stage ten, it is clear that the Dakar Rally in the bike category is far from decided. Even though the rally is now being contested in Saudi Arabia, the saying “Dakar is still a long way” remains true. Van Beveren shows his consistent form with a convincing stage win, Benavides stays firmly in the fight for overall victory despite setbacks, and Brabec is waiting for his chance once the time corrections are finalized. The crash and time loss of Sanders as a serious title contender completely changes the dynamics. With three stages still to go toward the finish, the tension continues to rise.