Benavides Wins Dakar Stage 3
Monday, January 8, 2024 at 9:35AM 
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kevin Benavides has topped the timesheets on the grueling third stage of the 2024 Dakar Rally. Putting in an impressive performance on his KTM 450 RALLY, the Argentinian moves up to sixth in the provisional overall standings. Meanwhile, after an action-packed day in the Saudi desert, Toby Price wrapped up the stage in ninth place. He now lies seventh overall.
Including a long timed special of 438 kilometers, stage three of the Dakar proved to be another huge test of skill and endurance for all competitors. Leaving the bivouac at Al Duwadimi, riders covered a total distance of 733 kilometers to Al Salamiya. Marking the first half of the event’s opening marathon stage, just two hours of assistance were permitted before competitors left their teams and completed a final liaison to a separate bivouac to spend the night.
Starting stage three from 19th, due to losing several minutes from a small mistake on the previous day’s special, Benavides knew he had to deliver his best over the course of day three to make up time on his rivals. Using his experience and speed, the reigning Dakar Rally Champion put in a superb ride over the mixed terrain, immediately slotting into second on the timesheets at the first checkpoint, and carried that momentum to the finish. Securing his first stage win of the 2024 Dakar so far, Kevin’s result elevates him to sixth in the provisional overall standings.
Stage three proved to be an interesting one for Price. Despite showing good speed over the special, Toby’s day was far from straightforward. Stopping to assist two different riders didn’t slow the Aussie’s pace however, and the two-time Dakar champion was able to make up ground on his rivals. Initially completing the stage in 23rd, with the time lost reallocated to him, Price finished in a highly commendable ninth place and now lies seventh overall, just one position behind teammate Benavides.
Stage three at the 2024 Dakar Rally was a bittersweet one for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing. For Daniel Sanders, it was largely positive as he delivered a fault-free ride through the 438-kilometer special to secure the 13th fastest time. Frustratingly for Sam Sunderland, the two-time winner of the Dakar was forced to withdraw from this year’s event after suffering from a technical issue just 11 kilometers into today’s special.
Maintaining a consistent start to what is only his fourth ever Dakar Rally, Daniel Sanders focused on completing the tough stage three special without issue – a task made even more challenging due to the low winter sun – and that’s exactly what he did! Placing 13th was the result of a smart and steady performance by the Australian who now lies eighth overall in the provisional standings.
After an encouraging start to this year’s Dakar, and with hopes of securing a third win at the prestigious event, Sam Sunderland’s race is sadly over. Shortly after entering the time special, Sam encountered a technical issue that he was unfortunately unable to resolve.
On the fourth day of Dakar 2024 the Monster Energy Honda Team riders made their mark on the first part of a marathon stage as they ventured from Al Duwadimi to Al Salamiya. Making the trek into the heart of Saudi Arabia they’d cover a variety of terrain including soft dunes and stony tracks which required a high level of navigation to make sure they got to the finish unscathed.
Second place finisher Ricky Brabec put in a fantastic ride to end the day just over a minute behind stage winner Kevin Benavides. He kept his third place in the overall standings and more importantly took time out of overall leader Ross Branch.
Adrien Van Beveren was disappointed with his result yesterday after a couple of navigational issues, but today saw him up amongst the front runners on a much happier day for the Frenchman as he mastered the conditions for third. Skyler Howes also spent most of the day in the fight and despite stopping to assist Hero Motosports Team Rally’s Sebastian Bühler after his crash, time spent at Bühler’s side was given back to the American. A hugely positive fourth place was his result just six seconds behind Van Beveren.
After his stage victory yesterday, José Nacho Cornejo was faced with the difficult task of being first off the line to cover the 438 km test. Pairing up with Quintanilla early on saw them both take advantage of the bonuses on offer for leading the way, on a stage which really put them through their paces mentally as Cornejo took sixth, with his fellow countryman just one place behind.
At the end of today’s stage mechanics had just two hours to work on the bikes before parting ways with their riders who will spend the night camping and with their bikes in Parc Fermé with nobody able to touch them.
Husqvarna Factory Racing's Luciano Benavides has successfully completed the third stage of the 2024 Dakar Rally with the 16th fastest time. The day presented a challenging mix of varied terrain and complex navigation, but Benavides skilfully steered his FR 450 Rally through the long timed special to safely complete this opening half of the event’s first marathon stage. The Argentinian now lies ninth in the provisional overall standings.
Following his excellent runner-up performance on Sunday’s stage two, Luciano was the second competitor to take on today’s first leg of a challenging marathon stage. Totalling 733 kilometres, the stage included an extremely tough, 438km timed special that tested riders with a combination of dunes, faster sandy stretches, and rocky sections.
Navigation on the stage was technically demanding throughout, which led Benavides to lose his way for a short time just after the start. Although setting off near the front proved to be a disadvantage, Luciano was able to then maintain a solid pace over the course of the special to complete the rest of the stage without any major issues.
In completing stage three of the race in 16th place, Benavides now lies ninth in the overall standings. Heading into tomorrow’s 631km stage four from Al Salamiya to Al-Hofuf with a favourable starting position, the Argentinian will be looking to attack the stage right from the start and claw back some time on his rivals.
