The two-time Argentine champion Kevin Benavidesaboard his KTM motorcyclehad his best performance today in the Dakar Rally 2024 in Saudi Arabia, by qualifying in third place in stage 3, held between the towns of Al Duwadimi and Al Salamiya, with a timed route of 438 kilometers and a link of 295.
The man from Salta, winner of the most demanding race in the world in 2021 and 2023, completed the section in 4 hours, 39 minutes, 28 seconds, with a very close difference (+1m.46s.) in relation to the winner, the Chilean Pablo Quintanilla (Sling).
Second place, with a time eight seconds slower than Benavides, went to the Spaniard Joan Barreda (Hero).
The third place on the podium meant for the Argentine from the Red Bull team an improvement in the general classification of the category. He moved from eleventh to sixth place and was 21m.32s behind. of the Botswana leader Ross Branch (Hero)who today qualified fifth in the stage.
Among them are the Chilean José Cornejo (+4m.11s.), the American Ricky Brabec (+5m.8s.), Quintanilla (+11m.16s.) and the French Adrien Van Bereven (+21m.16s.).
The eldest of the Benavides brothers was able to recover after a failed Sunday, with navigation problems. “Today I had a good day. I went out to do my job. I had several lines ahead of me, but I used them more as a reference, because the navigation was complicated. I was able to walk with a good rhythm, pushing all day. It was quite physically tiring”he shared upon arriving at the camp.
His brother Luciano, from the official Husqvarna team, He finished in sixteenth place and fell five steps, to tenth in the global positions, with 28 minutes of distance from the leader.
The Riojan is ordered further back Diego Gamaliel Llanos (KTM)in nineteenth place, after ending the day in that same order.
Relevant news for the category was the abandonment of one of the candidates for the crown, the British Sam Sunderland (GasGas), champion of the 2022 edition, who reported problems with his motorcycle at kilometer 11 of the stage. The pilot spent more than three hours fighting with his machine but finally gave up and confirmed his desertion for the second consecutive year.
in the division quads, the Argentinian Manuel Andújar, the only representative standing after the farewell of Francisco Moreno Flores, also had a positive day, finishing as second in the general standings, just 1m.21s. from the Slovak Juraj Varga, which reinforced his hope of becoming consecrated again as happened in 2021.
In the provisional records of the stage, the runner from the Buenos Aires city of Lobos was escorted by the two-time French champion Alexander Giroud, who surpassed him by 18 seconds. The Brazilian Marcelo Medeiroswho dominated the first two stages, fell to third place.
The competition of cars Dakar 2024 has a new leader, the local Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive), who today qualified third behind the Brazilian Lucas Moraes (Toyota) and the Swede Mattias Ekström (Audi) and above the defending champion, the Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota), protagonist of his best day in the current edition.
Al Rajhi, who is seeking the first title in his tenth experience, overtook the Spanish Carlos Sainz (Audi) in the general classification, now 29 seconds behind. The time invested by the leader, adding the prologue and the three stages, was 13 hours, 7 minutes, 29 seconds.
Behind them in the general classification are Ekström, Moraes, Al Attiyah, the Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel (Audi), his compatriots Mathieu Serradori (Century), Romain Dumas (Toyota), Sebastien Loeb (Prodrive) and the Lithuanian Vaidotas Zala (Mini) .
The Argentinian Juan Cruz Yacopini (Toyota) appears in twenty-first place at 1h.2m.58s. of the Arab leader, after repeating that same place in the special of the day.
The Dakar 2024 will be held until next Friday, January 19, with a route of 7,891 kilometers (4,727 timed) in twelve stages until reaching the finish line in Yanbu. The fourth segment will take place this Tuesday between Al Salamiya and Al Hofuf with a 299km route. special and 332 link.
Source: Ambito
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