Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides has claimed an impressive stage win on the final day of week one at the 2025 Dakar Rally, his first victory of the event, moving him up to seventh overall after five stages. Rally2 standout Edgar Canet continued his dominant form, securing his second stage victory and extending his class lead to 16 minutes. Despite a penalty dropping him to 12th on the stage, Daniel Sanders retains a seven-minute lead in the overall rally standings and is well-positioned for week two. Kevin Benavides, currently holding 26th place in the overall standings, delivered another safe but solid stage result in 37th.
As the 12th rider to start from the marathon bivouac in AlUla, Luciano Benavides quickly got to work chasing down his rivals, posting the fastest time at the 87-kilometer mark. Luciano was then locked in a closely fought battle for the lead, initially crossing the line in Ha’il as second-fastest. However, a subsequent two-minute penalty awarded to Adrien Van Beveren meant that Benavides was promoted to first place, marking his first stage win of the 2025 Dakar. Currently in seventh place in the overall standings, the KTM 450 RALLY racer will be aiming to move higher up the leaderboard when racing resumes on Saturday.
Luciano Benavides: “That was a really good day for me, starting from 14th helped as I was able to catch a lot of the riders in front of me but I could still see some tracks. I feel good on the bike and I’m happy with my riding, so we are at a good place before the rest day. Strategy will play a big part next week as you have to judge which stages will be the best to try and make up time on, and which ones to take it steady on. I feel like I am still in the fight, there’s a long way to go to the finish and I’m in a really good rhythm now so I can wait to see what the next week will bring.”
Determined to round out week one of the 2025 Dakar on a high, Edgar Canet immediately set about catching his closest Rally2 competitor, Michael Docherty. The pair fought hard, exchanging the class lead for the majority of the 428-kilometer timed special, but ultimately it was Canet who came out on top. Claiming his second stage win in the Rally2 category, Edgar retains the overall class lead by a comfortable 16 minutes. The young Spaniard has also moved into 10th place in the overall standings, an impressive feat on his debut Dakar Rally campaign.
Edgar Canet: “That was a nice long stage with different terrains like sandy pistes and lots of rocks, and I didn’t make any big mistakes which I’m happy with. Some of the navigation points were quite difficult, but I’m really happy in general with my rhythm and how this stage went. It feels amazing to be leading Rally2 after this first week, and I’m excited for the rest day tomorrow to recover! This week has been super long with a lot of hours on the bike, but I have a good feeling for the rest of the race. Of course the aim is to win Rally2, especially after my performance this week, so I’ll keep pushing hard!”
Following his victory yesterday, Daniel Sanders was tasked with opening stage five, tackling the 428-kilometer special with a clear focus on gaining time and delivering another solid performance. Facing challenging navigation with complex roadbook notes and hidden waypoints, Sanders consistently recorded top-10 times at each checkpoint. While he earned nearly six minutes in bonus time, an eight-minute penalty for speeding dropped him to 12th place. Despite this setback, Chucky retains a seven-minute overall lead in the rally and is well-positioned for Saturday’s stage six, where his strong starting position offers an excellent opportunity to chase down the riders ahead.
Daniel Sanders: “I had a lot of fun today, the stage was great and I really focused on my riding while I was opening. I had another issue with my roadbook tablet unfortunately at around the 400-kilometer mark, so I had to stay behind the guys leading so I didn’t get lost. I’m feeling really good after this first week, my experience has really helped me this year and it’s all coming a lot easier to me now. I can’t wait for the rest of the rally!”
Facing diverse terrain and challenging navigation on the final stage of week one, Kevin Benavides, with the rest day in sight, chose to conserve his energy and focus on avoiding mistakes on the unforgiving ground. Maintaining a consistent rhythm throughout, the Argentinian completed the special in 37th place. Pleased to have safely finished stage five, Kevin now looks ahead to the rest day and the second week of Dakar 2025, where he currently holds 26th place overall.
Kevin Benavides: “The stage was good today and it was nice to mix it up a bit with the terrain. It’s been a tough first week for sure, as I feel like I’ve been riding with one and a half arms! I knew it would be difficult, but I’m up to the challenge and I have really enjoyed it. I’ve kept a good pace over this first week and I’m proud to still be pushing has hard as I can.”
Riders will now take a well-deserved rest day before the second week of racing at the 2025 Dakar Rally, which commences on Saturday, January 11.
Provisional Results – 2025 Dakar Rally, Stage 5
- Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 4:53:00
- Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 4:53:47 +0:47
- Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Hero, 4:54:31 +1:31
- Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 4:56:20 +3:20
- Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 4:56:30 +3:30
Other KTM
- Edgar Canet (ESP), KTM, 5:00:17 +7:17
- Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 5:04:52 +11:52
- Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 5:45:48 +42:48
Provisional Standings – 2025 Dakar Rally (after 5 of 12 stages)
- Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 30:20:25
- Tosha Schareina (ESP), Honda, 30:27:17 +7:02
- Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 30:38:03 +17:48
- Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 30:38:14 +18:31
- Skyler Howes (USA), Honda, 30:40:14 +19:59
Other KTM
- Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 30:44:30 + 24:15
- Edgar Canet (ESP), KTM, 31:21:59 +1:01:44
- Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 33:35:11 +3:14:56
Photographer – EDO BAUER
