He Dakar 2024 On motorcycles, it seems like another equal and fierce battle, completely unpredictable. Another all-out battle between, on the one hand, Honda, and on the other, KTM and the two brands under its umbrella, Husqvarna and GasGas, whose pilots will be supreme in a survival race where candidates will be eliminated as they suffer from falling or losing hours during a day of bad navigation. This is the race, where the drivers are forced to go full throttle as much as possible, at a devilish speed, without the possibility of a day’s rest. You will not be disappointed. There are 11 favorite drivers and about 15 in the mix. A true madness.
Tosha Schareina, Spanish hope
In that battle will be another Spaniard, Tosha Schareina. The Valencian got Honda to give him a shot at this year’s World Championship. He was tried, but he made it clear that they needed to make him permanent. He was 2nd in his World Cup debut in Mexico and won his second test in Argentina. He won’t have a new motorcycle though left Of course, everyone aspires to his MD. He is one of the best on roads and tracks, but has little experience on the dunes.
Quintanilla, Van Beveren, Howes, Brabec and Cornejo
In his team, Monster Energy Hondaanyone can compete for success: Pablo Quintanilla (4th in 2023), Adrien Van Beveren (5th in 2023 and 3rd in the World Championship), Skyler Howes (3rd in 2023), Ricky Brabec (champion in 2020) and José Ignacio Cornejo ( 8th in 2023).
Benavides came wounded: to suffer to re-vindicate the crown
On the other side of the ring are the formations of KTMled by the current champion, Kevin Benavides. The Argentine arrived between the cottons. He injured his femur in February and his wrist in August. And in December he broke his fibula. But with his fighting nature, Kevin is sure he can endure the pain to fight for his third win. dakariana.
Luciano Benavides, in a state of grace
His brother, Luciano Benavides is another favorite after winning the FIM W2RC World Championship against the tireless KTM Toby Price, who was 2nd in the 2023 Dakar. Luciano, after being 13th in the Dakar 2022, certainly exploded in the last edition of the most difficult race in the world, achieving 3 stage victories and staying in the leading fight throughout the race, without mistakes and very fast . The Argentine proved to make a decisive leap that put him in the group of favorites along with his brother Kevin. He was 6th in the 2023 Dakar and proved his great form by winning the FIM W2RC Raid Rally World Championship with great consistency: he was 2nd in all the remaining World Championship events after his sixth place in Dakar. He wants to succeed his brother at the top in Dakar 2024.
Toby Price, the unburnt
The Australian Toby Price comes from being 2nd in Dakar 2023 and 2nd in W2RC World Championship. Despite being happy and carefree, he will surely have a thorn in the side of the 2023 edition. Price reached the final stage leading the overall standings with just 12 seconds ahead of his teammate Kevin Benavides. His philosophy of going through life makes him a favorite for the final duel of pure gas fist against a Kevin who is the complete opposite, a methodical pilot down to the smallest detail. But there, he watched as Kevin took the touareg from him with a final display. At 36 years old, Price will seek his third crown after wins in 2016 and 2019
Sunderland, to forget 2023
At GasGas, Sam Sunderland and Daniel Sanders want it all. The Briton, winner of the 2022 Dakar, abandoned stage 1 a year ago due to a serious fall and wants revenge. He came off a tough 2023. He missed the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge after suffering a fractured tibia in his last training session. He suffered another crash and retirement in the Sonora Rally and also had to retire in the Desafío Ruta 40 and the Rallye du Maroc when he fell ill. He wants to wipe the slate clean and forget about a bitter 2023, starting 2024 in a big way.
Daniel Sanders, to regain his best version
For his part, Sanders wants to return to the level shown in 2022, an edition in which he shone with 3 wins in 6 stages. After a spectacular start to the Rally, before stage 7, during the link, he suffered a fall after hitting the side of the road. In 2023 he won a stage, but was unable to get as close to his goal as the previous year, finishing 7th overall.
Joan Barreda, a Hero
Last year, the great Spanish asset in the Dakar on motorcycles was Joan Barreda. A year later, Torreblanca will debut with Hero, a motorcycle that should allow him to aspire to shine on several stages and where he wants to fight for the Top-5 or the podium. However, it is difficult to imagine that the winner of 29 stages (4 short of the record) can aim to win the general classification on his new mount against superior motorcycles such as Honda or KTM and their sisters from Husqvarna and GasGas.
Ross Branch and Lorenzo Santolino
Ross Branch, Barreda’s Hero teammate who finished 4th in the World Championship, also wants to shine. And Lorenzo Santolino. The man from Salamanca, riding his Shcerco, will be looking to improve on his Top-6 of 2021 and get into the top 5
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
