Kevin Benavides retires from 2025 Dakar Rally

Rest day and half way through the 47th Dakar Rally and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team is riding high in all classes but two-time winner, Kevin Benavides, has thrown in the towel after struggling in week one.

Daniel Sanders leading the overall standings by just over 15 minutes after winning three of the five stages plus the prologue. Dakar rookie Edgar Canet leading Rally 2 category and 10th overall. Luciano Benavides seventh overall and finding his mojo with runner-up on stage five.

Despite all the turmoil elsewhere in KTM world, the rally team is back battling for the Dakar trophies against the might of Honda, despite just three riders in the GP class this year.

Three became two today as two-time winner Kevin Benavides has taken the decision to retire from the race at the midway point. After a tough 2024 riddled with injuries, from which he hadn’t fully recovered before starting the Dakar a week ago, the Argentinian says it has been physically but also mentally tough to see his rivals running away from him, knowing he can ride like that but not having the physical condition to match them.  

“The first week was definitely tough with over 30 hours of racing. I’m not in my best physical condition so it has been a fight every day, but I’m really proud to have finished the first week of the toughest rally in the world. That alone is a great achievement!

“It’s been frustrating as my mind knows how to race fast and stay with the top guys – I’ve proved that in previous years – my body just isn’t capable of maintaining that sort of pace at the moment.

“It’s because of this feeling that I have made the decision to withdraw for the rally – the risk of further injury is too great. I want to thank the team and the fans for all the support they have given, and I hope to be back racing again soon.”