Luciano Benavides fourth-fastest on stage 11 at Dakar 2024

On a tough day at the Dakar, with difficult navigation and challenging terrain, Luciano Benavides has successfully completed the penultimate stage of the rally, bringing his Husqvarna Factory Racing machine home in fourth place. With only one day of the competition left to race, the FR 450 Rally rider retains his seventh place in the overall standings.

Benavides benefitted from his mid-pack start position as the sixth competitor to take to stage 11’s timed special – a stage the organisers promised to be one of the toughest so far in terms of terrain. Heading from AlUla towards the Red Sea at Yanbu, Luciano stormed the demanding 420-kilometre special, clocking the third-fastest time by the 228-kilometre checkpoint.

Using his skill and experience to deliver a near mistake-free ride, Benavides was able to maintain his pace over the rest of the special to ultimately post the fourth-quickest time. Ahead of Friday’s sprint to the finish, with only a short, 175-kilometre special left to race against the clock, the Argentinian lies in a highly commendable seventh place in the provisional overall rankings.

Luciano Benavides: “Stage 11 was another long day in the desert. It was one of those difficult days where you have to be really careful not to crash or make any mistakes as it was super rocky and the navigation through the canyons was quite tricky. I think I did a good job and I’m happy with how this Dakar has gone for me. Of course, I’d like to be nearer the front but I’m happy to be here and we know that next time we can push harder as a team.”

2024 Dakar Rally – Stage 11 Provisional Classification

1. Ross Branch (Hero) 4:51:57
2. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 4:52:29
3. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 4:55:14
4. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 4:56:35
5. Toby Price (KTM) 4:58:28

2024 Dakar Rally – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 11]

1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 49:37:57
2. Ross Branch (Hero) 49:48:19
3. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 49:52:28
4. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) 50:16:41
5. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 50:19:16
…
7. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 50:33:45