After a decorated decade in rally raid, Sam Sunderland is hanging up his helmet. On Wednesday, Sunderland confirmed his retirement from professional bike racing, ending a career that saw him win the Dakar Rally twice and the inaugural World Rally-Raid Championship.
Sunderland had struggled with medical snags in recent years. His final rally, the Desafío Ruta 40 in June, ended after three stages due to blurred vision in his eyes. The same ailment forced him to exit the 2023 Rallye du Maroc, ending a disappointing campaign that was supposed to be his Dakar and W2RC title defence. His hopes of a Dakar repeat that year were crushed by broken shoulder after crashing on the Dakar’s first leg, when he broke his ankle in a testing accident the day before the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
“It is with gratitude, humility, a bit of sadness, but without regret, that I announce my retirement from motorcycle racing after having a career that I dreamed of once upon a time,” said Sunderland. “From winning two world championships to my two Dakar victories, it’s been an incredible run. I would like to thank everyone that has been a part of this chapter and I’m looking forward to staying close to the team and playing a part in supporting their race efforts in the future.”
A Briton who lives in Dubai, he broke into cross-country rally in 2009 after his motocross career was halted by injury. After excelling in the United Arab Emirates’ national championship and starring at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, he made his Dakar début in 2012. He notched his first stage win two years later as a member of Honda’s factory rally raid programme before joining KTM’s team later in 2014. In 2017, he became the first British competitor to win the Dakar.
Sunderland’s luck was up and down at the Dakar. He reached the end just four of eleven times, but those finishes saw him win in 2017 and 2022 and place third in 2019 and 2021. Following his 2022 victory, he retired from his two final Dakars, with the 2024 edition ending due to a mechanical issue in Stage #3.
He switched to Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing in 2022. After winning the Dakar, he claimed another win at the ADDC en route to securing the inaugural W2RC. He had also won its predecessor, the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, with KTM in 2019.
“We would like to say a massive thank you to Sam for his time with Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing,” commented team manager Andreas Hölzl. “I speak for the whole team when I say we’re sad to hear that Sam is retiring from racing, but we completely respect his decision and thank him for everything he has done for us over the years. Beyond being a phenomenal racer, Sam is a fantastic person; always supportive, motivating, and a true team player. He is a huge part of the GasGas family, and we look forward to working with him again in new and exciting ways in the future.”
With Sunderland’s retirement, GasGas now only has Daniel Sanders on their rally raid roster. The marque, along with those owned by Pierer Mobility Group like KTM and defending champion Husqvarna, has scaled back their racing budget to cut back on costs and are thus not contesting the full World Championship.
