WATCH extended one-hour highlights from every stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally - January 2-15 (AEDT) - EXCLUSIVE and FREE on SBS and SBS On Demand.
Finishing on the podium as the best of the new riders in his maiden Dakar, "Chucky" will now take the valuable experience of a full event and knowledge of the tricky desert terrain into this year's venture.
"It was really good to finish fourth last year," Sanders told SBS' Christophe Mallet from his training camp in Dubai.
"I know now what I need to do to improve for this year's Dakar. We're not too many days away from it now, so it's really exciting and I've had a great season.
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"The Dakar's really important, it's the largest off-road race in the world, so it's key for me and the team to succeed and achieve the best result here."
Making the switch to GasGas Factory Racing this year after riding alongside fellow Aussie Toby Price for KTM last year, Sanders will team up with 2017 Dakar winner Sam Sunderland, who he's already formed a good relationship with.
"Sam's got a lot of experience behind him," Sanders said.
"He's done rally for many years now and is a bit of a wizard in the desert, so it's cool to have him here to talk about some of the stages and terrain we're going to approach together.
"He's good fun to be around and we have a lot of laughs to take the pressure off ourselves for the race."
With one journey through the deserts of Saudi Arabia already under his belt, Sanders is excited for another Dakar adventure despite it being a difficult task due to the beautiful backdrop.
"There's so much landscape to travel around, and the organisers do a really good job to make sure they follow some difficult navigation areas.
"It's something spectacular. I'd never been to Saudi Arabia before, and to see this landscape was so cool and there's a lot of good memories from last year. I'm really looking forward to seeing what's in store for this year's race."
A common testimonial from Dakar participants is that the race can be a real test of mental fortitude, which is why 'the Dan Sanders technique' involves keeping the pressure off himself going in and just trying to enjoy the experience.
"My technique is just to have fun all the time and try not to take it too seriously," he joked.
"You don't want to put too much pressure on yourself because it's a long race with 12 days on the bike and you only have one rest day.
"It's really important to try to stay fresh and motivated, which can be easy because this race is like the Olympics for us, we only get it once a year.
"Knowing now what it takes for your mind and your body, I can fine-tune my preparations this year and save some more energy to know when to push and when to relax."
WATCH extended one-hour highlights from every stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally - January 2-15 (AEDT) - EXCLUSIVE and FREE on SBS and SBS On Demand.
