The reigning champion was in control of the 2026 event heading into the second half of the marathon stage to Bisha, holding a lead of more than six minutes before disaster struck deep in the dunes.

Sanders crashed heavily around the 138–140km mark of the 368km special, injuring his left shoulder and sternum, but remounted to bring his Red Bull KTM home and keep his rally alive.

Despite finishing the stage well down the order and dropping from first to fourth overall, Sanders was cleared by medical staff to continue, with his condition set to be monitored on a daily basis.

The result has fundamentally reshaped the rally, ending his title defence and opening the door for his rivals with just a handful of stages remaining.

“It looks like for sure a snapped collarbone,” Sanders said after the stage.

“At the refuel we checked it. At 140 km/h I went over a dune and it was pretty scary, nearly landing on Tosha [Schareina], we all missed it, but I got up and knew the collarbone was broken and also the sternum.

“I’ve broken this as well, so there’s no power. So it wasn’t nice in the dunes at all.”

The crash occurred while Sanders was running with key contenders including Ricky Brabec and Schareina, with Brabec stopping to assist the stricken KTM rider before continuing.

From that point, Sanders’ race unravelled as he struggled through the remainder of the dunes in obvious pain, eventually conceding more than 17 minutes in the overall standings.

“The hardest part was riding through the dunes and knowing the race situation was changing, but the main focus now is to keep going, manage the pain, and finish the Dakar,” he said.

While his hopes of defending the Tuareg Trophy are over, the 31-year-old has been emphatic that he will not withdraw unless forced to do so, underlining the toughness that has defined his rally-raid career.

“We don’t quit,” he said.

“Mum and dad didn’t raise no quitter, so I’m not pulling out now until someone else tells me to pull out, or they drag me out of the race. I’m not stopping.”

Sanders’ misfortune has swung momentum firmly away from KTM’s former lead rider and into the hands of his rivals, with Brabec emerging as the new overall leader and Luciano Benavides moving to within seconds of the top spot.

2026 Dakar Rally Bikes Top 10 after Stage 10