Sam Sunderland

Sam Sunderland is a highly accomplished rally raid motorcycle rider, widely recognized for his multiple victories in the Dakar Rally and the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship. After securing consecutive victories in the UAE National Baja Championship in both 2010 and 2011, Sam Sunderland made his highly anticipated Dakar Rally debut in 2012, competing on a Honda. Despite having to retire from his inaugural Dakar due to an electrical fault, and subsequently missing the 2013 event due to injury, Sunderland quickly established himself as a formidable talent in the rally raid community, demonstrating resilience and a competitive drive early in his professional career. In 2014, while competing with the factory Honda team, Sunderland achieved a significant career milestone by becoming the first British rider since John Deacon in 1998 to win a stage of the demanding Dakar Rally.

This monumental accomplishment was recognized with the esteemed Royal Automobile Club’s Segrave Trophy. He maintained his elite performance, securing additional stage victories in the Dakar Rally in both 2018 and 2019, culminating in an impressive 3rd place overall finish in the 2019 edition of the event. His career reached new heights in 2022, after joining GASGAS Factory Racing, when Sunderland clinched his second Dakar Rally title, further cementing his status as a rally raid legend. In the same groundbreaking year, he also claimed the inaugural FIM World Rally-Raid Championship, highlighting his consistent dominance in the sport’s most challenging off-road conditions and securing multiple significant titles, reinforcing his position at the apex of professional rally raid racing.