American rider Mason Klein took a historic second stage in the Dakar Rally, edging into the spotlight on the second bike day as the rally moved into Saudi Arabia. The stage ran 430 kilometers from Sea Camp to Al Ula, a route that tested riders with a mix of rough desert tracks, rocky canyons, and endless sand dunes, all under a shifting weather pattern that left some surfaces damp from recent rains.
After undergoing multiple elbow surgeries following a crash at Dakar 2022, Daniel Sanders of GasGas looked to have the upper hand in the late stages. The Australian seemed poised to claim the stage victory, yet the endurance event is famous for stripping away certainty in the final kilometers. A tricky dune field and a clutch of penalties for other riders opened the door for Klein, who capitalized on the shift in momentum to seize the stage win. Sanders finished not far behind, watching his early advantage slip away as the course bunched the field toward the finish.
Stage 2 — Bikes
Top three at a glance: Mason Klein, Sebastian Buhler, Skyler Howes
Live updates tracked across the event offered fans a glimpse of the evolving battle as riders pressed toward the finish line. The Dakar Rally remains a proving ground where every kilometer matters and late stage turbulence can overturn early plans.
With the Dakar returning for a second year, Klein arrived as a standout rookie, building on a strong first impression from 2022. His performance suggested a potential for more in the coming days, and the field would do well to watch his progress as competition intensified.
The second portion of Dakar featured a 430-kilometer course toward Al Ula, much of it off-road. Riders faced rocky stretches between canyons, followed by horizon-stretching sand dunes and glimpses of Nabataean temples that punctuated the landscape with ancient rhythm.
The day’s weather left damp sand in places and created a surface that favored riders who could adapt quickly. Ricky Brabec of Honda began the day near the front after a previous victory and held a strong pace, assisted by penalties awarded earlier in the week which reshaped the running order on Sunday.
Rookie Michael Docherty on Husqvarna posted the best interim time at kilometer 48, clocking 42:24, while Spaniard Toscha Schareina on KTM finished second at 42:32. Behind them, riders such as Sebastian Buhler, Sanders, Joaquim Rodrigues, and Lorenzo Santolino kept a steady pace, keeping the battle lively in the mid-pack as the clock ticked on.
The Rally2 class saw Docherty maintain the early lead after 105 kilometers, holding an eight-second edge over Sanders and 25 seconds ahead of Schareina. The group of contenders also included Franco Caimi, Buhler, and Rodrigues, who remained within reach as the field stretched under the desert sun.
At the first refueling point around 150 kilometers, Docherty held a slender advantage but Sanders remained within striking distance, trailing by roughly 14 seconds. Santolino and Santolino’s Spaniards faced a tougher afternoon, with time losses accumulating as the day wore on.
push for victory
As the pace intensified, Sanders demonstrated his rhythm and moved into the lead around kilometer 186, opening a small gap of roughly 27 seconds on a South African rival. Buhler stayed within a minute, underscoring a tightly packed battle among the front runners.
More than three hours into the stage, the field was still tightly contested, with Sanders extending his advantage to about 1 minute and 34 seconds over the German rider. Docherty remained a threat with a steady pace, while Santolino trailed by several minutes and Barreda was not far off the rear of the leading group.
As the kilometres dwindled, the competition grew fiercer. At kilometer 269, Buhler slipped to eleventh place, losing more than seven minutes, while Docherty and Toby Price, the Australian KTM rider who had taken a prologue win earlier in the rally, pushed hard to cement their positions. The stage win looked increasingly likely to go to Sanders, but the end of the day would tell another story as Klein emerged from the shadows to make his move.
The decisive moment came late in the afternoon as Klein closed the gap and surged forward. With just over 200 kilometers left, Sanders held a slim lead that began to erode as Klein and Docherty pressed from behind. The final stretch saw the two leaders exchange places in a pulse-pounding finish, culminating in Klein crossing the line just ahead of Sanders to claim the stage victory. The overall podium featured a strong showing from other top riders as Buhler and Skyler Howes joined Klein in the top three, with Price and Santolino following closely behind on a challenging day for many riders.
In the closing moments of the day, the stage was decided by a narrow margin. Klein finished with a time of 5:23:24, edging out the German Buhler by a little over a minute and Howes by more than a minute. Price landed a competitive position among the top finishers, while Sanders, despite pushing hard, settled for a position further down the results, illustrating just how unforgiving Dakar can be for those who push too hard at the wrong moments. The field’s resilience and the sheer speed of the leading riders left no doubt that the Dakar Rally remains one of the world’s premier endurance tests, where every rider writes a chapter in the event’s storied history.