Argentine Kevin Benavides (Honda) won the Dakar 2021 in the motorcycle category this Friday, at the end of the 12th stage between Yanbu and Yedá, obtained by American Ricky Brabec (Honda).
In the general classification, Benavides conquered the test with 4 minutes and 56 seconds of difference on Brabec and 15 minutes and 57 seconds on the British Sam Sunderland (KTM).
Argentine and Latin American enduro champion, Benavides, 32, made his Dakar debut in 2016 with an impressive fourth place. In 2018 it was ranked second. In his fifth participation, he won the title.
On Thursday, at the end of the 11th stage, anything was possible between the top three (Benavides, Sunderland and Brabec), who were less than ten minutes apart.
By winning the penultimate stage that day, Sunderland had taken advantage of the Honda riders’ problems to close the gap.
But in the final stage it was fatal for Sunderland and ended in the consecration of Benavides, who finished second, 2 minutes and 17 seconds behind Brabec, and ahead of Austrian Matthias Walkner (KTM), third at 4 minutes and 13 seconds.
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