Three Bridges born rally raid motorcycle racer Daniel Sanders was crowned the South African Safari Rally Champion
Though American Ricky Brabec outmuscled Mr Sanders in the fifth stage, the Australian remained on the top of the ladder overall with a commanding 35-point margin over his closest pursuers Luciano Benavides and Mr Brabec.
Mr Sanders said in a Facebook post the event was a huge success.
“We have done it again – South African Safari Rally Champion… It had been an awesome event and I cannot wait to come back.”
Mr Sanders made a mistake in the first stage which saw him start fourth in the second stage.
But he managed to make the lost time and secured stage wins for the second, third and fourth stages, with Mr Brabec edging him out in the fifth.
Mr Sanders, commonly referred to as Chucky, dominated the rally and broke the record for most RallyGP wins (19) and most specials won in a single season (11).
Having grown up on a farm in Three Bridges, Chucky found a passion for off-road riding from an early age as he learnt the rugged terrain of the south east Australian landscape.
He shocked the world with his sensational debut at the Dakar in 2022 as he finished fourth and secured the title of best rookie.
Now Mr Sanders is focused on the next leg of the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship in Europe later on in the year.
“We have a good lead in the overall championship and will put my focus into the last 2 rounds which will be later during the year,” the post read.
