Kevin Benavides wins the Dakar 2021 in a brilliant Honda double

Sthe five attempts has led him to Kevin Benavides winning his first Dakar Rally. Today he has achieved it by completing the last stage of the 43rd edition in second place, after his teammate at Honda, Ricky Brabec, from whom he inherits the throne the toughest race in the world.

Benavides is the first Argentine to win the Dakar Rally in one of the two main categories. Until now the only ones to accomplish this feat had been the Patronelli brothers (Alejandro in 2011 and 2012 and Marcos in 2010, 2013 and 2016) in quads.

Is he second consecutive Dakar also for Honda, which has finally been rounded brilliantly. with a Benavides-Brabec double a career that he has had to fight to the last day and in which, had he had a bit more luck, he could have signed a historical domain.

On the last day the starting order – perhaps the most decisive factor of the race this year – bends Sam Sunderland. The one from KTM went all out to overcome the 5:07 that separated him from the miracle (the difference increased last night at the last minute after the organization corrected a failure of the GPS) but It was not possible. In the first reference, the British left almost 12 minutes on Brabec … and with them the second place on the podium in Jeddah.

In front Kevin Benavides had no problem defending himself by opening the court, giving only 2:17 at the finish line and thus managing to complete a fantastic rally, with few failures and two partial wins but above all, built in a very solid second week.

Ricky Brabec plays on his crown until the end. Took the stage win and knocked Sunderland off the second level of the podium. The American has been a lot more comfortable in the tough second week of Dakar but it has not given him to revalidate the title … for very little. The nearly 20 minutes he gave up in the first part were too difficult a slab to lift in an edit with many drivers with options for victory and without major errors make you lose minutes, with the sole exception of falls and Matthias Walkner’s initial mechanical problem.

More from Author Travis M. Andrews here: https://globelivemedia.com/author/travis-m-andrews/