Kevin Benavides (KTM) won the Dakar Stage three as Ross Branch remained top of the ranking.
The Dakar, which is continuing to explore the heart of Saudi Arabia, is taking great strides towards the desert of the Empty Quarter, with a leap of more than 600 kilometres today.
However, before being totally immersed in sand, the riders had to tackle a wide range of terrains, which were often conducive to navigation mistakes.
The physical demands of this stage spared the sturdiest but also the calmest of the bikers, including Kevin Benavides who let his experience do the talking to triumph.
The configuration of this third stage made another cull of the competitors likely.
It was as severe as had been announced for a number of leading riders who proved to be in too much of a hurry.
In the order of disappearance from the rankings, Sam Sunderland went first, betrayed by his machine’s mechanical problems after 11 kilometres of the special, followed by Sebastian Bühler, who fell severely after 360 km.
In the meantime, a duo of openers came together at the forefront of the stage to lay down the tracks.
Pablo Quintanilla and Nacho Cornejo, both team-mates with Monster Energy Honda, seemed set to make the day a Chilean festival.
However, the victory that seemed promised to Quintanilla slipped from his grasp following the race stewards’ announcement of a series of speeding penalties.
Due to going much too fast through a zone restricted to 30 kmph, Pablo received a 6-minute penalty.
However, Kevin Benavides was much more law abiding and kept up a high pace over the whole distance without ever losing his way, ending the day as the talk of the town, at last for a positive reason.
Injured virtually throughout 2023, the Argentinean had not tasted the thrill of victory since his success on the last stage of the Dakar, the one which sealed his triumph.
He is not back to that level yet, because he occupies 6th place in the general rankings, 20’32’’ behind leader Ross Branch, but maybe he can start thinking about overall success again.
RallyGP Results – Stage 3
1 BENAVIDES Kevin 1 ARG Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team 04H 39′ 28″
2 BRABEC Ricky 9 USA Monster Energy Honda Team +01.11
3 VAN BEVEREN Adrien 42 FRA Monster Energy Honda Team +02.51
4 HOWES Skyler 10 USA Monster Energy Honda Team +02.57
5 EVAN BRANCH Ross 16 BWA Hero Motorsports Team Rally +03.18
6 CORNEJO José Ignacio “Nacho” 11 CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +03.34
7 QUINTANILLA Pablo 7 CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +04.14
8 SVITKO Stefan 142 SLO Slovnaft Rally Team +05.04
9 PRICE Toby 18 AUS Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +06.36
10 MICHEK Martin 10 CZE Orion Moto Racing Group +07.32
Rider Standings
1 EVAN BRANCH Ross 16 BWA Hero Motorsports Team Rally 14H 32′ 51″
2 CORNEJO José Ignacio “Nacho” 11 CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +03.11
3 BRABEC Ricky 9 USA Monster Energy Honda Team +05.08
4 QUINTANILLA Pablo 7 CHI Monster Energy Honda Team +16.16
5 VAN BEVEREN Adrien 42 FRA Monster Energy Honda Team +20.16
6 BENAVIDES Kevin 1 ARG Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +20.32
7 PRICE Toby 18 AUS Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +22.57
8 SANDERS Daniel 4 AUS Gas Gas Factory Team +24.13
9 BENAVIDES Luciano 77 ARG Husqvarna Factory Racing +27.00
10 MICHEK Martin 10 CZE Orion Moto Racing Group +27.12
12 HOWES Skyler 10 USA Monster Energy Honda Team +41.45