Daniel Sanders has raced into the history books, becoming only the second Australian to triumph at the Dakar Rally and the first motorcyclist in 16 years to lead from start to finish in the great two-week race.
The man known throughout the demanding endurance sport as 'Chucky' flew home across the desert dunes to Shubaytah on his Red Bull KTM on Friday to seal a magnificent wire-to-wire triumph in Saudi Arabia.
The 30-year-old from the Yarra Valley finished sixth over the final mass-start 61km 'sprint', having decided to "play it safe" as he protected his nine-minute lead over his nearest rival, Spain's Monster Energy Honda rider, Tosha Schareina.