Daniel Sanders has kicked off the Dakar Rally in fine style, finishing second in the prologue - but he didn't sound confident about the prospect of spearheading a double-pronged Australian assault on the motorcycling crown at the great race in Saudi Arabia.
Sanders, popularly known as 'Chucky' in the motorcycling world, was beaten for victory in the 27km opener on Friday by just 12 seconds, only bettered by Spain's Tosha Schareina, who took his first Dakar stage win on a factory Honda.
The Red Bull GasGas rider Sanders eclipsed his more lauded compatriot Toby Price, in the prologue that determined the starting positions for Saturday's first stage, with the two-time winner admitting he made mistakes on his way to finishing only eighth, 51 seconds behind Schareina.
