Daniel Sanders honoured as Australian off-road riders clean up at the 2026 FIM Awards, capping a powerhouse year across rally-raid, motocross and speedway
Victorian off-road star Daniel Sanders has been officially crowned FIM World Rally-Raid Champion after a record-breaking 2025 campaign headlined by his triumph at the Dakar Rally.
The 31-year-old KTM rider received his gold medal on Saturday night at the FIM Awards Ceremony at the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the sport’s 2025 title winners were honoured. Sanders closed the show among the “Ultimate Champions” after a dominant World Rally-Raid Championship in which he won four of five rounds, including a commanding two-week Dakar performance in January.
Already a highly-decorated off-road racer who helped steer his country to the World Trophy at the 2018 6DAYS FIM Enduro of Nations, Sanders now has an individual FIM gold medal after dominating this year’s FIM World Rally-Raid Championship. Arguably the most physically demanding of all FIM disciplines, Rally-Raid sent riders through multiple arduous days in the saddle, and Sanders seized control from round one. After victory at the iconic Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, he doubled up at February’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, then made it three-from-three at May’s South African Safari Rally. Following a four-month break, he wrapped up the title at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal with a fourth straight win that put the championship beyond reach. The season signed off in October at the Rally du Maroc, where Spain’s Tosha Schareina (Honda) took a well-deserved win as Sanders’ hopes of a perfect season were dashed—though the title was already secured.
Sanders’ medal capped a banner night for Australian off-road racing. Australia’s back-to-back FIM Motocross of Nations triumph was recognised in the Team category, with Motorcycling Australia CEO Peter Doyle collecting the award on stage. The unchanged MXoN trio of Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence and Kyle Webster defended their crown at Ironman Raceway in the USA, with Hunter’s double win in the Open class laying the foundation. Jett topped MXGP overall despite a late crash in the final moto, while Webster’s fighting fifth in MX2 provided the crucial support to beat Team USA.
Beyond motocross, Australia also reclaimed the FIM Speedway of Nations title in Torun, Poland, where Brady Kurtz and Jack Holder delivered an epic Grand Final win over hosts Poland. After a stinging opening-heat defeat by a Bartosz Zmarzlik-led squad, Australia reset with maximum points against Denmark, then rolled Sweden, Latvia and the Czech Republic before toppling defending champions Great Britain to reach the decider. In the Final, Holder launched from the tapes and Kurtz—who missed this year’s SGP World Championship by a single point—pulled a decisive pass on Zmarzlik to seal a 7-2 victory.
The Lausanne ceremony hosted one thousand guests and honoured winners of sixty-four world titles across Circuit Racing, Motocross, Trial, Enduro, Cross Country Rallies and Track Racing. Expertly overseen by Lauriane Gilliéron and Gavin Emmett, the show was streamed LIVE worldwide, including via FOX Australia. Reflecting on the night, FIM President Jorge Viegas said: “To be able to celebrate this occasion in the FIM’s home country for the very first time and to have every 2025 FIM World Champions in attendance has cemented this edition of the FIM Awards to be one of the best we have enjoyed in the fifteen year history of this unique event.”
Sanders will attempt will return to the Dakar Rally on the 3rd of January to defend his crown, while Jett and Hunter Lawrence will be fit and raring to go for the highly anticipated 2026 AMA Supercross season which kicks off January 10 at Anaheim.
