DAKAR 2025

Lorenzo Santolino wins stage 3 of Dakar 2025, extending Spain's all-time record

Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino has won the third stage of Dakar 2025 by more than four minutes over Americans Ricky Brabec and Skyler Howes, ending a drought of almost six years for Sherco and increasing Spain's all-time record to 37 consecutive editions of at least one stage win, leaving behind the 35 that France had achieved between 1979 and 2014. In the general classification, Australian Daniel Sanders - winner of the three previous stages - remains in the lead.

The special stage of the third stage, starting in Bisha and finishing in Al Henakiyah, was shortened from 496 to 'just' 327 kilometres, with Daniel Sanders opening the track as winner of yesterday's stage; and who led alone until being caught by Skyler Howes first and then by the American Tosha Schareina, which led the three to accumulate bonuses during the time they were together.

Then, it was Howes who got rid of his two traveling companions and put some distance between them with a hellish pace that allowed him to compensate for the losses with bonuses compared to all the drivers except the South African Bradley Cox and the Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino, who took advantage of their great starting position.

Everything pointed to Cox's first victory, but in the penultimate stage he lost several minutes and left the track clear for Lorenzo Santolino's first victory, which ended a drought of almost six years for Sherco, whose last victory dated back to the penultimate stage of 2019, by the Frenchman Michael Metge.

Ricky Brabec has finished second in the third stage of the Dakar 2025(image above)

The shortened stage meant that he couldn't open up any big gaps, but Santolino still managed to put more than four minutes on Ricky Brabec, who 'only' managed to cut nine seconds off Skyler Howes and 13 off Ross Branch, two of his main rivals in the general classification.

Close behind them were the Argentine Luciano Benavides, the Slovak Stefan Svitko, the Chilean Pablo Quintanilla and the Spaniard Edgar Canet, with the Czech Martin Michek and the Austrian Tobias Ebster in the top 10. Outside of that were top riders such as the Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren, who lost seven minutes; and Daniel Sanders and Tosha Schareina, who lost 10 minutes by finishing 17th and 18th, which will give them a great starting position tomorrow.

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