Plenty of Upper Yarra locals achieved big things in 2025, but for the Star Mail, the success of Three Bridges’ Daniel “Chucky” Sanders has topped the list.
When the rally raid motorbike rider won the 2025 Dakar Rally (arguably the biggest race in the world of motorbikes) in January, you would be forgiven for thinking he’d reached his zenith.
But the determined Australian had more up his sleeve, as he went on to win the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in February and continued to impress with a South African Safari Rally win shortly after.
In September, Sanders shocked the world again with a momentous Portugal 2025 World Rally-Raid win which saw him close a one minute 40 second gap and build another 50 seconds on top of it by the last 20 kilometres.
Sanders’ win in Portugal was historic as it saw him secure the Rally GP world champion title before the last round.
Sanders said in a Facebook post that for the fourth round, he needed to pull through with an exceptional performance to make up for lost time.
“The extremely high pace made navigation tough with all the tight corners and frequent changes of direction, but I held strong and put together great navigation right to the finish line,” Sanders said.
Though the series’ finale in Morocco saw Sanders lose to Schareina after a costly mistake denied him the clean sweep.
It didn’t matter though, because Sanders already had the championship in the bag.
“For the team, my family, friends, my girlfriend and everyone who’s seen me undergo all the lows and highs along the way, it’s finally all paid off,” Sanders said in an interview.
“They knew I could do it, everyone who’s backed me along the way, even after the last three years of a lot of lows, really, now we’ve got the up, so all the hard work has paid off”.
Chucky bookended an incredible year in December at the 2025 FIM Awards in Switzerland where he collected his FIM World Rally-Raid Champion medal, flashing a wide toothed grin as he held his medal with pride.
But Sanders was also recognised for his advocacy back at home after he went public about the Yarra Ranges Council’s decision to ban commercial motorbike races at his farm in Three Bridges.
The Sanders Apple Farm has held motorbike races since 1982, eventually becoming a cornerstone of the motorbiking community and providing a safe place for thousands to ride.
Mr Sanders said the farm had shaped his career.
“For 40 plus years our family property in Three Bridges has been home to motorbike races, junior coaching, ride days, fundraisers and trail rides.
“A safe, legal place for locals to ride and one of the last private spots left in Australia for events like this,” Mr Sanders said.
The council banned commercial motorbike races on the farm due to the property being zoned for agricultural use, though domestic use of motorcycle riding wasn’t restricted.
He posted on Facebook to announce the development and the post garnered widespread support with over four thousand likes.
It got the attention of Casey MP Aaron Violi who shared his support and also saw Sanders feature in an interview with multiple major news publications.
Motorcycle Racing Club Victoria (MCRCV) president Gary Puddy said the club supplied the Sanders farm with “all the evidence that it [has]” from the beginning and it would continue to support the farm in every way it could.
While Sanders flies around the world training for the 2026 Dakar Rally, his family are hard at work preparing evidence as they attempt to challenge the council’s decision at VCAT.
