Luciano Benavides Eight-Fastest on Stage Nine at 2024 Dakar Rally

STRONG PERFORMANCE SEES HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING RIDER MOVE UP TO SEVENTH IN THE OVERALL STANDINGS

MATTIGHOFEN, AUSTRIA – January 17, 2023 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) –Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides has continued his run of consistent top-10 stage results, posting the eighth-fastest time on stage nine of the Dakar Rally. In what was one of the fastest timed specials of the race so far, Benavides was able to maintain good pace with minimal mistakes. In the provisional rankings, the FR 450 Rally rider now moves up to seventh overall.

Following his runner-up result on stage eight, Benavides faced the unenviable task of starting near the front of the pack on stage nine. Presented with a mixture of rocky expanses and fast tracks, accurate navigation was key to successfully completing the stage. After a frustrating start to the 639-kilometre stage due to a small navigation mistake, the 28-year-old was able to hold his position inside the top 10 for the rest of the tough special.

Happy with his result, his performance, and the feel of his machine, Luciano aims to make the most of his eighth place starting position on Wednesday’s 612km stage 10 that starts and ends in AlUla. With three days left to race, the Argentinian lies seventh in the overall standings and remains fully focused on delivering strong results in order to move himself further up the leaderboard.

Luciano Benavides: “Stage nine was another tough one for sure. I was at the front with my brother, Kevin, and we made a mistake in the navigation so were lost for a few minutes. After that it was a long day, but definitely the fastest stage of this year’s Dakar so far. I was pushing hard to try and make up time but I was struggling with my hands getting really sore. I’m happy to have made it to the end of the stage though and my result gives me a good starting position for tomorrow.”

Download images from the 2024 Dakar Rally here.

2024 Dakar Rally – Stage 9 Provisional Classification

1. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 4:36:36
2. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 4:37:18
3. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 4:41:05
4. Toby Price (KTM) 4:43:20
5. Ross Branch (Hero) 4:43:45
…
8. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 4:46:52

2024 Dakar Rally – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 9]

1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 40:53:49
2. Ross Branch (Hero) 41:00:58
3. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 41:05:05
4. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) 41:07:35
5. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 41:21:51
…
7. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna)…