Kevin Benavides won his second Dakar on a motorcycle

A year ago, kevin benavides (January 9, 1989, Salta, Argentina) cried uncontrollably. A year later, he does it with joy. as well as the Dakar. One day it may be the most cruel race in the world. Also, it makes you live the best moment of your life. That is why it is so hated and at the same time, the love of a lifetime for all pilots. kevin benavides he knows what it feels like to lose a Dakar in the middle of a fight, in a bad way, like the engine failure he experienced last year on stage 10, when he recovered a very good time in the general classification and belongs to the group of riders who can fight it all “Suddenly he stopped and did nothing but cry, get a little angry and lost all possibilities there”he said then. Due to the failure of his engine, he lost the possibility of winning a Dakar with KTM in his first attempt, after surprising his departure from Honda when he achieved his first Dakar with a golden wing signature in 2021. However, he did it his second time, and he did it in a big way. Kevin Benavides is the 2023 Dakar motorcycle champion after capturing one of the best talents of recent years, showing devilish speed in a very final stage, the final stage of the 2023 Dakar. Kevin started with only 12 seconds behind the leader Price a the last special And flew to the crown.

Kevin won the 2023 Dakar by being consistent throughout the Dakar, hitting his rivals with a great blow in the penultimate stage to force the ‘extension’, and this Sunday he took his best penalty by of winning the game against Toby Price (KTM) and Skyler Howes (Husqvarna). Benavides is already a two-time Dakar champion.

At the moment of truth is where the Argentine marks the differences. The last two stages were his and it gave him an advantage of 43 seconds that separated him from Price in the general classification. Special mention for hello who, with Husqvarna, took his first Dakarian podium although he could not be close on the final day of the rally.

The ‘Flying Salteño’ conquered his second dakar sceptre, KTM’s first, two years after touching the skies with Honda. He did it with a great finish in Dakar, putting his head out when the throttle burned the crowd, making the right decisions in the most difficult moments, on a day complicated by the rain in the morning, which leave the route full of mud and very slippery. where it is very easy to go wrong. That’s what champions do, make a difference in key moments. He took responsibility and nailed it.

Kevin was full like there was no tomorrow, fired up with the will to come back, and at the first checkpoint, at kilometer 33, he had cut the 12 seconds that separated him from Price and put him 1’40” on Howes. The American was left completely out of the game and resulted in a draw between the two KTMs. They were tied, at the same time. From there, Kevin continued to attack, flying at a devastating speed and at kilometer 68 he was ahead of 1’49” in Price. I had to touch it. He still lacks 70 kilometers to capture the glory.

He won the game at a great Price

Kevin Benavides arrived in the penultimate special with more than two minutes left, managed with great speed to put himself just 12 seconds behind Toby Price and risked a good final duel against such experience and, more all in all, a strong minded driver. That’s the trait Kevin highlighted when chatting with MD ahead of that final this Sunday: “Toby is a pilot with a lot of experience for many years, he won two Dakars and what I like most about him, apart from the great admiration I have for him as a pilot, is his mental strength, by definition. that has nothing to do with him. That’s very positive.”. While Kevin kept thinking about the end of the race this Sunday and what he should and shouldn’t do, Toby Price was very calm in his caravan, waiting for the moment of battle, not wasting energy on anything.

Kevin, a born worker and very methodical pilot, was able to win that psychological game. Both have to come out on the attack and the best will win, as happened between Messi and Mbappé in the Qatar final. “Do you want Messi and raise the cup? That’s the idea”, he told MD in the preview. “Argentina couldn’t compete against Saudi Arabia, let’s see if I can do it. We will see. Let’s hope. It will be very fair. Everything can happen. I choose to focus on myself and try to do my best.” He nailed it and took the title. His second crown.

Santolin, 9th

After Mason Klein and Matthias Walkner retired on the penultimate stage, Lorenzo Santolino faced the final special with a 20-minute margin in 10th. It was more than enough for the Sherco driver from Salamanca to achieve the 9th last place in the 2023 Dakar, his best result after the sixth position he achieved in the 2021 Dakar, better than what he achieved in last year, when he was 11.