HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING RIDER CLAIMS HIS FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE VICTORY WHILE LUCIANO BENAVIDES FINISHES AS RUNNER-UP IN MOROCCO
MATTIGHOFEN, AUSTRIA – October 7, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Skyler Howes has stormed to second place on the fifth and final stage of the 2022 Rallye du Maroc to secure his first ever FIM World Rally-Raid Championship win. The American completed five incredible days of rally racing in the Moroccan desert to ultimately finish just over seven minutes ahead of second-placed Luciano Benavides.
Right from the start of this year’s Rallye du Maroc, both Skyler Howes and Luciano Benavides were able to deliver solid stage results day after day as they fought for the overall honours in Morocco. A one-two finish on day three saw the FR 450 Rally-mounted racers rise to the top of the event standings, and despite losing a little time while opening stage four, the pair reclaimed the top two positions on Thursday’s stage five with an excellent display of speed and navigation over the 290-kilometre timed special.
As the sixth rider into today’s stage, Skyler knew he would have an excellent opportunity to chase down and catch the riders ahead and in turn make up the valuable minutes he needed to finish on the podium. Remaining focussed, despite the added pressure, Howes delivered an impressive ride on the route back to Agadir, making the absolute minimum of errors to place second on the stage, just six seconds behind the leader. The result was enough to top the final rally timesheets by seven minutes and 13 seconds and secure a memorable overall victory in Morocco.
Howes’ victory marks the 30-year-old’s first world championship race win, an impressive achievement that comes down to not only the commitment put in by himself and the team over the year developing the FR 450 Rally, but also Skyler’s focus and work ethic. Now, with his confidence high, the likeable American will shift his attention to the Sonora Rally in Mexico later this month.
Finishing stage five in third, a mere nine seconds behind teammate Howes, Luciano Benavides cemented himself into second place in the overall results. Including Benavides’ impressive stage win on day three, the young Argentinian displayed immense skill and pace over the course of the five-day event to claim a well-deserved podium. Feeling hugely comfortable on his FR 450 Rally…
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