Kevin Benavides (ARG) Dakar 2022 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing on KTM profile

Kevin Benavides Dakar 2022 profile:

Kevin Benavides is from Argentina. He is in Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team driving KTM 450 RALLY FACTORY REPLICA motorcycle.

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Kevin Benavides experienced the most exciting moment of his life on the last Dakar when he won the motorcycle category. He was in seventh heaven, having made his racing dream come true. A dream that began to take shape from the very moment he made his dazzling debut on the 2016 Dakar when he scored a stage win on day three and finished the rally in an astonishing 4th place.

His impressive debut was followed by a brilliant season with victories at home in Argentina and abroad. Kevin was a no-show for the 2017 Dakar after breaking his hand during a training session a fortnight before the start of the rally. On the 2018 Dakar, Kevin came back to show just how good he is. He fought neck and neck with the leaders until he got lost on stage 10, partially giving up his chances of victory. Second place was both a bonus and a challenge. On the Peruvian Dakar, Kevin suffered received a harsh three-hour penalty with three stages to go.

That circumstance affected his performance, and, this coupled with an engine change, left him in 12th place. Two months later, he was reclassified in P5. On the 2020 Dakar, Kevin showed outstanding pace, even managing a stage victory, but on day six his Honda engine failed 44 km from the finish.

He was stranded in the dunes and lost four hours. Then came an engine change penalty that relegated him to19th place as Ricky Brabec scored the win for the team. Honda's win was a tremendous motivation for Kevin in 2021. He recovered from his injuries and went out for a very tough race, which was decided on the last stage, battling against Brabec and Sunderland.

In the last kilometre of the special, he knew he had won. In April, the Dakar champion sealed his move from Honda to KTM with the challenge of adapting to a new bike and a new team. He also had to deal with injuries and underwent surgery that kept him out of several races during the season. Instead, there was intense training, with more than 4,000 km of testing in the USA before making his debut on the new bike on the Morocco Rally.

Kevin Benavides said about Dakar 2022: “The 2021 Dakar was incredibly difficult. In week one, whoever won a stage, opened the special the next day and lost 25 minutes, which had to be made up the day after that. There were a lot of ups and downs. I think I won because I was able to keep my cool. It went all the way to the end. I won the penultimate day, and we went to the finish in a crazy final stage. I started 3rd behind Brabec and Sunderland. The three of us were very close on the times, and we all had a chance. After 50 km, they got lost, and I rode by myself on the remaining 150 km when I didn't think I would have to do it. It was an amazing race. I rode at 110%, and in the last kilometre, I knew I had won.”

“That moment was the greatest moment of my life. It was an incredible, indescribable feeling of happiness: to have achieved the dream I chased after my entire career. I cried, I screamed, I celebrated, and every time I think about it, I get goosebumps. My life changed after winning the Dakar because I felt inside that I achieved the goal I wanted so much, but I'm still the same person I've always been, working on my future goals”.

“The switch to KTM was very important. Although I felt at ease at Honda, and I thank them for the opportunities they have given me, I changed for a question of objectives. I have been given the chance to be a factory rider for the top two constructors in rally-raid. I have set myself the goal of winning another Dakar with a different team, something that no one has done yet”.

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