At the end of Friday’s stage, Sanders wound up 4m53s faster than Honda’s Ricky Brabec.

However, the Australian wound up third fastest and 1m17s adrift of Brabec after he had six minutes added to his time for speeding.

What could have been an enormous lead at the rally’s midway point was whittled down to just a 45-second advantage over Brabec in the overall standings.

Honda made it a one-two in the stage, with Tosha Schareina second and just three seconds up the road from Sanders.

“It was a tough day out front, especially with the navigation, and it felt like an emotional rollercoaster at times,” said Sanders.

“I picked up a speed penalty early on, which was disappointing, but I just pushed as hard as I could all day.

“Opening in the sand is never easy, but the riding felt good and the speed was there.

“I’m not happy with how I’ve put the first week together, as there were too many small mistakes.

“It’s frustrating but that’s rally racing. I’m glad to reach the rest day and now the focus is on cleaning things up and having a strong second week.”

At the moment, it’s a two-horse race for the win. KTM teammate Luciano Benevides couldn’t keep up, and ended Stage 6 with a 10m15s deficit to Sanders in the overall standings.

“It wasn’t the easiest stage for me today,” said Benevides, who was sixth fastest.

“I started off well and then Daniel passed me somewhere after kilometre 50.

“I hit one dune quite hard and so after that I decided to ease off a little to protect myself.

“The rest of the stage went ok; I just focused on making it to the finish safely and in good time.

“The plan now is to get plenty of rest tomorrow and then come back strong for week two.”

The Dakar Rally competitors get a day off with no running on Saturday before resuming their campaign on Sunday.

Sanders will ride from Riyadh to Wadi Ad Dawasir, headlined by a 876-kilometre route with a 462-kilometre timed stage.

Brabec signalled his intention to hunt down Sanders when the rally resumes on Sunday.

“I knew today was going to be a little bit tough, but there’s still a long way to go,” said Brabce.

“I’m still in a very good spot, right between Tosha and Daniel. I’m not spending too much time opening.

“Now I think my only goal is to catch Daniel on the day after the rest day and try to take some bonus time; that’s how the rally works now. You have to open to win.

“I haven’t been fortunate enough to get up to the front just yet but there are still seven days of racing left, so anything can happen.

“I’m happy to make it to the rest day. Everyone wants to win, I’m doing the best I can, I’m trying my hardest.

“The sand dunes weren’t that easy for me. I’m a little bit heavy on the bike and there was soft sand, but I’m happy with the result.”

2026 Dakar Rally Bikes Top 10 after Stage 6