The Argentinian Manuel Andujar (pilot of yamaha) became champion of the Dakar Rally 2024 in Saudi Arabia and achieved his second personal title, after entering as a guard for the Frenchman Alexandre Giroud (Yamaha) in the twelfth and final stage held this Friday in the city of yanbu.
The man from Buenos Aires, also winner of the edition 2021covered the entire route of the test, about 7,891 kilometers (4,727 timed), with an accumulated time of 64 hours, 16 minutes, 53 seconds.
It ended with a difference of 7m.59s. about french Giroudwho were seeking their third consecutive crowning after winning the trophy in 2022 and 2023. The podium in the quad division was completed by the Slovakian Juraj Varga (Yamaha).
Giroud won six of the twelve stages of the Dakar 2024 but it was not enough due to the consistency of the Argentine, who ranked among the top three each day and managed the distance achieved with a perfect strategy.
The pilot of the 7240 Rally Team took the lead in the general classification on the fourth day and since then kept the rider from Grenoblewhich came close to six minutes twice but never found the loophole to take first place.
With emotion for his achievement, after abandoning the last two editions, the Argentine sent a message to those who “They say the quadricycle category is disappearing”without noticing that “it was the most competitive this year”despite finishing with only seven participants on the Arab terrain.
With emotion, the Argentine was happy to “to give Lobos – his hometown – another Dakar again”whose second conquest he lived as “a liberation” after dropping out the previous two years.
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“In the last two years I couldn’t finish, I had to see it from the outside due to an accident and a broken engine, so today I am back at the top, it is an impressive joy”assured the 7240 Rally Team driver in statements to the official race site.
Andujar27 years old, contributed the eighth star in the category that has Argentina as the most winning country. The previous six were achieved by Marcos Patronelli in 2010, 2013 and 2016; his brother Alexander in 2011 and 2012 and Nicolas Cavigliasso in 2019.
Other results of the 2024 Dakar Rally
On motorcycles, the Argentine Kevin Benavides (Red Bull KTM) won the last section and finished fourth in the general classification, behind the new champion, the American Ricky Brabec (Honda), the Botswana Ross Branch (Hero) and French Adrien van Bereven (Sling).
The man from Salta, consecrated in 2021 and 2023, led the last stage with a time of 1h.48m.40s. to complete the 328 kilometers (175 timed), ahead of the Australian Toby Price (Red Bull KTM) and his brother Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna), who completed the podium, two places above the Riojan Diego Gamaliel Plains (KTM).
Luciano He finished in seventh place overall and could not discount the disadvantage he had with respect to Price to equal his best historical performances in the race: two sixth places achieved in 2020 and 2023.
On the other hand, the Spanish Carlos Sainz (Audi) did not give rise to surprises and signed for the fourth time its coronation in cars, which had remained a simple procedure on Thursday, after the Frenchman’s delay Sebastian Loeb (Prodrive).
The 61-year-old from Madrid repeated the feat of 2010, 2018 and 2020this time escorted by the Belgian Guillaume de Mevius (Toyota) and Loeb himself, who won in the twelfth set and ensured his presence on the last step of the podium.
The Argentinian Juan Cruz Yacopini (Toyota), tenth this Friday, finished the most demanding rally in the world in 28th place in the global car classifier and Nicolas Cavigliassotogether with his partner Valentina Pertegarini (Taurus), was in the top ten (9th) in the challenger division.
Source: Ambito
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