US EditionLuciano Benavides Wins Dakar Bike Title by Two Seconds
Luciano Benavides won the Dakar Rally motorcycle title by the closest margin ever after Ricky Brabec made a navigation error in the final kilometers, ending a two-week race.
- On Jan 17, Luciano Benavides won the Dakar Rally motorcycle category by two seconds in Saudi Arabia's final stage.
- Then seven kilometers from the finish, American motorcycle rider Ricky Brabec took a wrong turn and lost time, while Luciano Benavides had trailed by three minutes and 20 seconds after Friday's penultimate stage.
- Starting his ninth Dakar, Luciano Benavides raced three months after tearing knee ligaments; his KTM was faster while Brabec's Honda held the overnight lead with time bonuses.
- On the final standings, Spaniard Tosha Schareina finished third for Honda after coming second last year, while Daniel Sanders crashed on Wednesday but finished fifth for valuable points.
- Brabec, poised for a third title, had won Friday's stage before his late error, while Kevin Benavides, Luciano's older brother and two-time Dakar winner, adds family legacy to the result.
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64 Articles
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Independent EspañolYANBU, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Argentine Luciano Benavides capitalized on Ricky Brabec’s navigational error minutes from the end of the Dakar Rally to sensationally win the motorcycle title on Saturday by two seconds, the smallest margin in history. Meanwhile, Nasser Al-Attiyah did not blink to catch his sixth car title in the 13th and final stage, a 105-kilometer full-speed race along the Red Sea coast to Yanbu. Brabec was heading at full speed tow…
Luciano Benavides (KTM) signed a historic Dakar in Yanbu by conquering the 2026 edition of motorcycles for just two seconds, the shortest difference ever recorded. The Argentine took advantage of a navigation error of the leader of the general, Ricky Brabec (Honda), at kilometer 98 of the special, to overcome it in the final esprint and secure the title in an absolutely unforgettable outcome. Everything pointed to an outcome with an American acc…
Associated Press News
Benavides rides to smallest Dakar Rally win margin and Al-Attiyah confirms sixth car title
Luciano Benavides has exploited a navigation blunder by Ricky Brabec minutes from the finish of the Dakar Rally to sensationally win the motorbike title by two seconds.
The Argentine driver won an incredible race.After 8000 kilometers, he defined it for just 2 seconds in front of Ricky Brabec."I can't believe it, everything was almost lost," he said.
The Argentine had left in second place the final stage, behind the American Ricky Brabec
This edition of the rally-raid smiled at a new winner in motorcycles and rewarded a great regular in the car category on Saturday.
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