Sanders’ lead trimmed after fall but still in command for final 61 km run to the flag TechTricks365

2025 Dakar Rally

Stage 11 – SHUBAYTAH > SHUBAYTAH

Stage 11 of the Dakar Rally dawned with a dense mist covering the Empty Quarter, hampering safety and preventing helicopters from taking off. Subsequently the start was delayed and the special subsequently shortened to just 152 km, from the originally planned 308 km.

That and the strategic decision by many riders to slow for Stage 10, ensuring they weren’t opening the penultimate stage, saw Honda’s Tosha Schareina take advantage and come out the stage winner, making up seven-minutes on overall leader Daniel Sanders and bringing that gap down to nine-minutes. That marked a historic second-ever stage win for Schareina, who also won the prologue in 2024.

Tosha Schareina – P1

“It was not easy the 150 km of dunes as it was really really soft in some parts and so tricky. It was really hard for me, I was so exhausted just 20 km into the special, then I realised that we had 130 km more to race. I’m happy for the win today and to get to the finish line.”

An extremely short 61 km final special with a grouped start leaves little chance for Schareina to close down that remaining gap, but in racing anything can happen.

Sanders showcased a solid but strategic approach on stage 11, finishing sixth, the Australian retaining his dented but intact overall rally lead, a position he has held since the prologue, and is now well positioned for victory despite a crash in the sand dunes on Thursday that left him ‘feeling pretty rough.”

Daniel Sanders – P6

“It was a really cloudy morning, so we had to wait a while to start, and it’s a shame that the weather really impacted the stage so much. I was looking forward to it, but it was the best decision for everyone. I had a good day cruising along and making sure I didn’t take any big risks or make any mistakes. It’s going to be fun tomorrow with everyone riding together and the plan is to just sit back and watch everything unfold while I play it safe!”

Luciano Benavides delivered a stellar performance on the penultimate stage of the 2025 Dakar, making the most of his 16th-place start position to excel in the shortened yet demanding special. Setting the fastest time to the first two checkpoints, the KTM racer maintained a strong pace throughout the stage, ultimately finishing just 33 seconds shy of the stage win and fourth overall, trailing third place by just over six minutes.

Luciano Benavides – P2

“Today’s stage 11 in the Empty Quarter was good! We only did half of it because the start was delayed this morning due to the fog. I had a really good pace and rhythm, so to finish second on the stage is great. I only got stuck once and other than that I felt super good on the bike all day. I tried my best and tomorrow we will take on the final stage and try to finish strong!”

Super sand surfer Adrien Van Beveren also took time out of the top two overall despite crashing a third of the way in after a big dune jump. Luckily unhurt and with no damage to his Honda CRF450 Rally, he has solidified his third place on the overall podium sitting just 15’15” back.

Adrien Van Beveren – P3

“The stage was cut in half, I was a bit frustrated for that as I wanted to go for the whole stage. I was pushing a lot, I think at 50km into the stage I jumped a really big dune. I played one joker as we say and I had a big crash but luckily the airbag went off, I was completely OK. I’m really happy to arrive here, now the mechanics are checking the bike and I’m ready to finish the best way tomorrow.”

Ricky Brabec’s plan to grab some time back was scuppered by the shortened distance but nonetheless he brought his Honda to the finish line in fourth, just 3’48” back from Schareina. He still occupies fifth overall with a margin of six minutes now to Luciano Benavides just ahead of him.

Ricky Brabec – P4

“Day 11, one more day to go. I’m happy to be here, it’s been an eventful Dakar, a lot of ups and a lot of downs, but overall I’m happy with the team and my riding. Today was all sand dunes so we did what we could and looking at the results now I probably shouldn’t have stopped yesterday, but it’s the Dakar and I was trying everything I could to make a final push today. It’s not over yet as we have a special tomorrow, so we’ll see what happens. Overall though I’m happy to get a finish at another Dakar, this is my tenth one so we’ll keep fighting.”

Jose Ignacio Cornejo rounded out the top-five as top Hero rider, 6m02s off winning pace, followed by Sanders, Mathieu Doveze, Toni Mulec and Stefan Svitko.

Slightly disappointed to not be able to make up some overall time was Skyler Howes rounding out the top 10, having been the third Rally GP rider off the line for the day, now holding sixth overall.

Skyler Howes – P10

“Today was a shortened day but we still had a long day out there. We woke up at 4 o’clock in the morning to go and sit out at the start of the special and due to the fog we had a really long delay. I couldn’t see anything on the liaison this morning, it was crazy. We had dunes in what we call chotts which is kind of like a lake bed, but it was only 150km that we had to ride today, so more or less there was nothing that I could do to gain any time. I rode normal, took it nice and slow, had some fun, threw some no-footers for the helicopter and just had a good time. I got into the refuelling zone which was the finish and that was it, end of the day. Now all we have to do is 61km in a mass start tomorrow, so we’re all going to ride around in a big group and that’ll be the end of it.”

Faced with challenging navigation as the fifth rider to start from Shubaytah, Edgar Canet managed a steady and consistent ride through the day’s special.

Despite the tough conditions slowing his pace early on, the Dakar rookie improved steadily, ultimately finishing 15th on the stage. Canet continues to hold a commanding 35-minute lead in the Rally2 category and retains his impressive eighth-place position overall heading into the final day of racing.

Edgar Canet – P15

“Stage 11 was a good one with a lot of dunes. It was shorter than expected, but it was better for me to help protect my Rally2 lead. I had a good rhythm today and I’m feeling really good with one stage to go, just 65 kilometres, so I can’t wait!”

Aussie Toby Hederics had a better day on the shortened special, finishing 25th and retaining his 19th place overall standing, coming home just over 20-minutes off the winner.

Next – (Final) Stage 12

With the riders back at the Shubaytah bivouac they’ll rest up before the final day’s racing, where stage 12 will offer up a spectacular feast for the eyes with a mass start. The bikers will set off in waves of 15 in the reverse order of the general standings, with just 61 km of special stage across the desert lying between them and the finish line at the bivouac as the curtain falls on this formidable edition of the Dakar Rally.

2025 Dakar Rally Stage 11 Results

2025 Dakar Rally Standings after Stage 11

Monster Energy Honda HRC Stage 10 & 11 Recap

2025 Dakar Rally Route/Schedule