Dakar 2027: KTM confirms Benavides, Sanders and Canet

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing confirmed its trio for the 2027 Dakar Rally on 3 November 2026: defending champion Luciano Benavides, Daniel Sanders and Edgar Canet, all on the KTM 450 Rally. The announcement comes as the world's most famous rally-raid returns to Africa for the first time since 2007, starting in Portugal before crossing Morocco.

Benavides, the reigning champion, goes for back-to-back wins

Luciano Benavides took the first Dakar victory of his career in 2026, in one of the closest finishes in the event's history: the Argentine won by just two seconds, giving KTM its 22nd Dakar title. He did it despite a knee injury suffered three months earlier.

Back to his best after a physically difficult start to the season, he feels at home on the new route: he says he has always been strong in Morocco and enjoys the terrain. He will be the rider to beat in January.

Sanders wants his crown back

Daniel Sanders, winner of the Dakar and the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) in 2025, had a bittersweet Dakar 2026: leading the race, the Australian broke his collarbone on stage 10, still completed the last two stages despite the pain and finished fifth overall.

Since then he has bounced back in the W2RC with wins at Rally-Raid Portugal and the Desafío Ruta 40 in Argentina, plus second place at the Rallye du Maroc. He leads the championship with one round to go. He expects a race a few days shorter and looks forward to new terrain, having only ever raced the Dakar in Saudi Arabia.

Canet, the team's young gun

Edgar Canet, the youngest of the group, is having a breakthrough season in RallyGP, the premier class he moved up to in 2026. He took his first win there at the Rallye du Maroc, topping the timesheets after five days of racing. The Spaniard heads into his third Dakar with more experience.

According to the team, all three riders have won in the W2RC this season, and Red Bull KTM has won every round contested so far. Team manager Andreas Hölzl sees it as excellent preparation for the Dakar.

The Dakar 2027 route

The 49th edition takes place from 9 to 23 January 2027. It starts in Loulé-Faro, Portugal, then moves into Morocco and finishes in Marrakech. The programme includes a prologue and 12 stages, 7,234 kilometres in total, with 4,341 kilometres against the clock. A rest day is planned in Agadir. The Dakar also opens the 2027 World Rally-Raid Championship season.

Key points

• Red Bull KTM fields Benavides, Sanders and Canet on the KTM 450 Rally.
• Benavides defends a title won by two seconds in 2026.
• Dakar 2027 starts in Portugal and ends in Marrakech, from 9 to 23 January.
• Route: prologue, 12 stages, 7,234 km of which 4,341 km timed.