Ktm

 “It's incredible to pull off the win with such a small gap”

Kevin Benavides endured a bittersweet season in 2022, knowing he had done very well overall. However, due to mechanical failures and a few mistakes of his own, his efforts were not reflected in the results. On the 2022 Dakar, where he was defending his title, Kevin had to start from the back, losing almost an hour on day one. On stage ten, the rider from Salta was up to fifth place, just a handful of minutes away from joining the fight for the lead, when he retired due to a blown engine. He came back and won stage 11, proving that he was determined to fight to the finish. He had an unfortunate incident in the prologue of the Morocco Rally. He had to open the stage on day one of a complicated navigational race, which forced a game of strategy. Between Kevin and his brother Luciano, they opened the way for almost 900 km. P6 did not reflect the hard work and intense pace of the rally. In the Andalucía Rally, Kevin was on course to win but suffered a six-minute speed limit penalty in a race, which was shortened to three days. He finished second just three minutes back. How is the story of this Dakar champion to be written? The dream began to take shape from his dazzling breakthrough in the 2016 Dakar when just on day three, he took a stage win and took an impressive fourth-place finish. This brilliant debut led to a scintillating season with victories in Argentina and abroad. A fortnight before the start of the 2017 Dakar, Kevin fractured his hand during training, which meant he would not race in the rally. Kevin returned to show his class in the 2018 Dakar. He fought neck and neck with the leaders until he lost his way on stage ten, partially giving up his chances of victory. P2 was both a reward and a challenge. In the Peruvian Dakar, Kevin suffered a severe three-hour penalty with three stages to go. That circumstance affected his performance and this, coupled with an engine change, left him in P12. He was promoted to P5 two months later. Kevin showed an exceptional race pace on the 2020 Dakar, even managing a stage victory, but on day six, the engine of his Honda failed 44 km from the finish. He was left in the middle of the dunes and lost four hours to start, followed by a penalty for the engine change that left him in 19th place, while Ricky Brabec took the win for the team. The Honda win was a strong motivation for Kevin in 2021. On the final kilometre of the special stage, he knew he had finally won. “That moment was the most spectacular moment of my life”, he recalls. Kevin secured his move from Honda to KTM in April with the challenge of adapting to a new team.  Mature, serene, and confident that in 2022 he will have completed a season of learning and experience in seventh place in the W2RC as the best of the KTM riders, Kevin returns to the Dakar "to do better" and to fight at the sharp end of the category.  

“It's incredible to pull off the win at the end of this completely crazy Dakar, and with such a small gap. I'm also the first to win with two different motorbike brands, and that makes me very proud."