Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders has claimed victory on stage three of the 2024 Rallye du Maroc. Demonstrating exceptional skill in the dunes of today’s timed special, the KTM 450 RALLY rider has taken the provisional rally lead with an advantage of one minute and 35 seconds after three full days and more than nine hours of intense competition. Meanwhile, Luciano Benavides delivered a solid ride to secure the fifth-fastest time on the 327-kilometer special stage.
Following his two top-three results on this year’s Rallye du Maroc, Sanders claimed his first stage win of the event today with a strong ride that saw him move into the lead of the rally with two stages remaining. As the third rider into the special, Daniel had two targets ahead of him in the form of Tosha Schareina and Adrien Van Beveren, both of whom he caught by kilometer 104.
Having made up good time on his rivals over the first half of the special, Sanders maintained a solid but safe pace over the second half, which consisted primarily of washed-out riverbeds and fast, rocky tracks. Making little in the way of errors over the long stage, and despite not earning any bonus time, ‘Chucky’ brought his KTM 450 RALLY safely home as fastest on the special. After well over nine hours of racing against the clock, Sanders holds a one-minute-and-30-second advantage at the front of the field.
Daniel Sanders: “That’s stage three done! Another very long day on the bike with over 200 kilometers done in the morning and then well over 300 kilometers of special. It’s been super-hot, very dusty, and very demanding. I felt really good today and got off to a strong start. I caught the two guys ahead by the neutralization then pushed through the dust a little bit and got into the dunes. One of the guys ahead made a little mistake, but it meant it was difficult to get out front and collect any time bonus, so as the terrain turned a little rockier, I just played it smart and made sure I brought the bike home safely. We have a new area to race tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Maintaining a strong pace over the varied terrain of stage three, Benavides set off fifth into today’s 327-kilometer special and held that position to the finish. Continuing to work on setting up his KTM 450 RALLY, Luciano lies fourth overall in the provisional rally standings and is focused on making the best use of his seat time on the bike in race conditions to build his confidence and speed ahead of the upcoming Dakar Rally next January.
Luciano Benavides: “It feels good to get stage three done – it was a really long stage and quite tough, similar to a Dakar stage. There were a lot of broken pistes and rocky tracks, and I found it tricky to settle into a good rhythm. The pace isn’t quite there yet, but we’ll keep on working on some things and improve the set-up as the rally goes on.”
Thursday’s stage four of the 2024 Rallye du Maroc – the penultimate of the event – will challenge competitors with a special stage of 315 kilometers raced against the clock. The stage follows a looped route starting and finishing in Mengoub.
Provisional Results – 2024 Rallye du Maroc, Stage 3
- Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 3:27:03
- Tosha Schareina (ESP), Honda, 3:29:20 +2:17
- Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 3:31:24 +4:21
- Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Honda, 3:35:52 +8:49
- Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:36:04 +9:01
Provisional Standings – 2024 Rallye du Maroc (after 3 of 5 stages)
- Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 9:27:08
- Tosha Schareina (ESP), Honda, 9:28:43 +1:35
- Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 9:41:29 +14:21
- Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 9:43:20 +16:12
- Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Honda, 9:43:38 +16:30
Photographer – Rally Zone
