Al-Rajhi wins Dakar Rally at 11th attempt and Sanders sews up motorbike domination

SHUBAYTAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Yazeed Al-Rajhi became the first Saudi to win the Dakar Rally when he completed the race on home sand on Friday.

After 13 days of desert racing and more than 5,000 kilometers of specials, Al-Rajhi beat home Henk Lategan of South Africa by less than four minutes, the smallest margin in 15 years.

Daniel Sanders won the motorbike crown, the second Australian champion after two-time winner and mentor Toby Price.

Sanders won the first three stages and was never caught. He's the first rider to dominate from start to finish since Spain's Marc Coma in 2009 when the rally was in Argentina and Chile.

Lategan led the car standings for a week by capitalizing on consistency. He appeared to cement victory on Monday when he won the eighth stage. But a navigation error on Tuesday opened the door for Al-Rajhi as the race entered the Empty Quarter dunes.

Lategan rebounded on Wednesday when Al-Rajhi got stuck in a hollow. But Al-Rajhi’s superior expertise in dunes gave him the decisive break on Thursday.

He won at his 11th attempt after completing the brief 12th and last stage back to Shubaytah on Friday. His German co-driver Timo Gottschalk claimed his second Dakar title: He helped navigate Nasser Al-Attiyah to victory in 2011.

Their final margin over Lategan was 3:57, the smallest in the Dakar since 2010, when Stephane Peterhansel beat Al-Attiyah by 2:12 in Argentina and Chile.

“I am very, very happy to do it, it is not an easy race, it's the toughest one that I've done in the last 11 years,” Al-Rajhi said. “Me and Timo and my team did a great job like always.”

Sweden's Mattias Ekström was third, 20 minutes back. Like Al-Rajhi and Lategan, Ekström earned a personal best finish, and held off five-time champion Al-Attiyah by 3 1/2 minutes.

Al-Attiyah was forced to drive hard after a 10-minute penalty on stage five for losing his spare wheel, and was undone by navigation errors. It's the first time he's failed to finish on the podium in a race he's completed in 18 years.

Sanders won the Dakar at his fifth attempt. He was fourth and the best rookie on debut in 2021.

“When I came out of the dunes ... I could see the bivouac and I just got instant chills through my whole body, I was super nervous. I couldn’t believe it. All the emotions started coming through and I could see the finishing line,” he said.

“To win the six-day international enduro and now the Dakar, it’s just ticked off all the goals for my career. After the last three years of a lot of lows, now we've got the up, so all the hard work has paid off.”

Spain's Tosha Schareina, second to Sanders since stage four, completed his best finish, nearly nine minutes back.

France's Adrien van Beveren, second last year, was third, nearly 15 minutes off the pace. Defending champion Ricky Brabec was fifth, nearly 30 minutes behind.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Rider Daniel Sanders of Australia celebrates winning the Dakar Rally after the twelfth stage in Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Rider Daniel Sanders of Australia celebrates winning the Dakar Rally after the twelfth stage in Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Driver Yazeed Al Rajhi, of Saudi Arabia, background right, co-driver Timo Gottschalk, of Germany, left, and Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Faisal, Head of Saudi motors Sports celebrate winning the Dakar Rally after the twelfth stage in Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Driver Yazeed Al Rajhi, of Saudi Arabia, right, and co-driver Timo Gottschalk, of Germany celebrate winning the Dakar Rally after the twelfth stage in Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

CARY, N.C. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw isn't done pitching just yet, agreeing Thursday to join the U.S. team for this year's World Baseball Classic.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner wanted to pitch for the Americans in the 2023 tournament but was prevented because of insurance issues. He had a $20 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the time.

“I was too broken for the insurance to cover my arm and everything,” Kershaw said on MLB Network, “so now that it doesn't matter I get to go and be a part of this group.”

A left-hander who turns 38 two days after the March 17 championship game, Kershaw announced last September that he was retiring at the end of the season, his 18th in a stellar career for the Dodgers. He won his third World Series title and finished 223-96 with a 2.53 ERA and 3,052 strikeouts.

“I just want to be the insurance policy,” Kershaw said. “If anybody needs a breather or if they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back or if they don’t need me to pitch at all, I’m just there to be there. I just want to be a part of this group.”

Later Thursday, new Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman announced he will join the U.S. team.

When Kershaw received a call from U.S. manager Mark DeRosa, he thought he was being invited as a coach.

“I didn't have a whole lot of interest in picking up a baseball again," Kershaw said. “I started throwing 10, 12 days ago and it doesn’t feel terrible, so I think I’ll be OK.”

Kershaw joins a U.S. pitching staff that includes right-handers David Bednar, Clay Holmes, Griffin Jax, Nolan McLean, Mason Miller, Joe Ryan, Paul Skenes and Logan Webb along with left-handers Tarik Skubal and Gabe Speier.

The American roster also includes catchers Cal Raleigh and Will Smith; infielders Ernie Clement, Gunnar Henderson, Brice Turang and Bobby Witt Jr.; outfielders Byron Buxton, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Aaron Judge; and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.

The U.S., which lost the 2023 championship game to Japan, opens March 6 against Brazil at Houston, part of a group that also includes Britain, Italy and Mexico.

Shohei Ohtani struck out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to end Japan's 3-2 win in the 2023 championship. Kershaw doesn't anticipate facing Ohtani, his teammate for the Dodgers' World Series titles in 2024 and 2025.

“I think something will have gone terribly wrong if I have to pitch against team Japan in the finals or something. I think we got plenty of guys to get that guy out and not me,” Kershaw said. “But if that happens, I'll be nervous. I'll be nervous at this point.”

AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates the end of the top of the 12th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of baseball's World Series, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)