The second day of the rally included a gruelling 48-hour expedition, totaling 947km over two days.
Competitors were required to stop at the end of day two at one of the six designated bivouacs.
Sanders stopped at the penultimate break, having covered 617km.
As it stands, Sanders is the provisional stage and overall leader.
Sanders has 330km to go in the second stage.
Honda rider Ricky Brabec sits second and 40 seconds in arrears of Sanders while Ross Branch is 3m51s off the lead.
“It was a really long stage today, and it was tough with a lot of dunes but finally the guys made it to the rest stops,” said team manager Andreas Hölzl.
“Sanders is doing really well and Edgar has done a great job too without any mistakes today. Luciano is on track for a great result and Kevin is still in the game.
“We’re looking forward to finishing the stage tomorrow.”
Toby Price, who switched from bikes to cars for the first time this year, is seventh overall in his Overdrive Racing Toyota HiLux.