Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kevin Benavides and Toby Price have completed the tough stage 10 at the 2024 Dakar Rally in eighth and 10th place, respectively. With times extremely tight across the top 10 finishers, after close to four hours of racing, Benavides trailed the provisional stage winner by just four and a half minutes, with Price another two minutes back.
Riders faced a 371-kilometer loop for the timed special on stage 10. Starting and finishing at the bivouac at AlUla, the route navigated around some of the stunning rock formations that the area is famous for. Competitors didn’t have much of a chance to take in the views however, with technical navigation and long, rock-strewn tracks ensuring another tough day in the saddle.
With times so tight, even just a small mistake on today’s special was enough to knock you down the order. Using the first few kilometers to develop a good rhythm on his KTM 450 RALLY, Benavides steadily increased his pace as the stage progressed, moving himself up from 15th at kilometer 138 to eighth at the finish. Continuing to deliver stage after stage of strong, consistent results, Kevin retains his top-five position in the provisional overall standings with two days of racing remaining.
Kevin Benavides: “Another hard stage today – a lot of stones and tricky navigation that we always see in this area. I think I did a good job – I kept up the pace for the whole day more or less, so I’m happy with my performance. Tomorrow is a long stage with a 480-kilometer special, so I have a good starting position for that. With two stages left to race, the plan is to just keep on pushing and make it safely to the finish.”
Also consistent on today’s stage, Price covered much of the 371 kilometers raced against the clock without issue. Despite losing a little time over the final 50 kilometers to his rivals, the two-time Dakar Champion was able to complete the stage in 10th place. The Australian lies sixth overall, one place behind teammate Benavides.
Toby Price: “It was a decent stage for me today. I made a couple of little mistakes towards the end, but overall, I’m happy with how things went. The boys out front did a really good job, and it’s definitely a mission to try and keep hold of them. All in all, I’m feeling good – my wrist was suffering a little in the rocks out there today, but yeah, it was a good stage. I caught Pablo (Quintanilla) and was riding with him for a bit, then Ross (Branch) caught up. It was good fun to ride in the group like that. Couple of stages left to go, so we’ll keep pushing and see what happens at the end.”
Provisional Results – 2024 Dakar Rally, Stage 10
1. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 3:51:39
2. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 3:51:41 +0:02
3. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 3:51:59 +0:20
4. Daniel Sanders (AUS), GASGAS, 3:52:26 +0:47
5. Harith Noah (IND), Sherco, 3:53:34 +1:55
Other KTM
8. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:56:10 +4:31
9. Mathieu Doveze (FRA), KTM, 3:57:51 +6:12
10. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 3:58:27 +6:48
Provisional Standings – 2024 Dakar Rally (after 10 of 12 stages)
1. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 44:45:28
2. Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 44:56:22 +10:54
3. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 44:57:14 +11:46
4. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 44:59:16 +13:48
5. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 45:18:11 +32:43
Other KTM
6. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 45:27:28 +42:00