Argentine rider Kevin Benavides, riding for KTM, clinched his second Dakar Rally victory this Sunday by taking the final stage and erasing a 12-second gap to the Australian rival, Toby Price. Across the 14 special stages and the prelude, Benavides finished the rally with a slender 43-second lead in the general classification.
The motorcycle battle stayed electric right up to the last day. Three riders entered the final leg with a realistic chance to wear the title, but it was Salta’s own Benavides who ultimately sealed it, returning the Dakar crown to Honda colors after his 2021 triumph earlier in his career.
The Dakar’s concluding stage rolled out in Al-Holuf and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, featuring a route of 281 competitive kilometers and 136 kilometers of liaison sections. Relying on a fast pace, the stage included a brief coastal stretch with some soil, extensive sand detours, and a dry lake bed. Rain from the days prior had left a muddy patch around 29 kilometers from the finish, presenting the rally with one final challenge before the end.
The starting order mirrored the general classification in reverse and opened with Spaniard Ruben Saldaña, finishing with the trio battling for the championship: American Skyler Howes aboard Husqvarna, Kevin Benavides, and Toby Price. This finale did not see the usual early risk takers; the focus remained on holding steady and then breaking away when the moment allowed, as Price seized back the lead to stay within 12 seconds on the eve of the last day.
Howes, positioned 1 minute 31 seconds behind the leader, faced a precarious turn of events on the eve of the final. What was anticipated as a push to close the gap instead turned into a stumble: he dropped 1 minute 40 seconds to Benavides at the first checkpoint and any chance of an outright victory began to slip away.
From the start of the final, a real duel formed between the two title favorites. After 33 kilometers, Benavides had shaved off the 12-second overall deficit against Price, signaling a gripping showdown that would extend beyond a single day. After more than 43 hours of intense riding across the fourteen stages and the prologues, the field had narrowed to a duel bound for South American soil.
Benavides continued to press and pushed Price back by 1 minute 49 seconds by kilometer 68. As the first half of the special drew to a close, the rally seemed to tilt toward Argentina. Meanwhile, Australian Daniel Sanders aboard GasGas also kept his own stage ambitions alive, closing in on the leaders within 19 seconds of Benavides, adding a third authentic storyline to the final day.
Price refused to concede, maintaining pressure as the last stage neared its end. At the last intermediate checkpoint, Benavides’ overall advantage over Price had shrunk yet again, with a 20-second reduction to 1 minute 29 seconds, leaving some emotional tension in the air as the finish line approached.
When the stage wrapped, Benavides posted the best time, clocking 1 hour 15 minutes 17 seconds, beating Sanders by 35 seconds. Price was the only rider with a realistic shot left, but he could not overturn the margin. He finished the stage 55 seconds behind Benavides and 43 seconds behind in the general classification, sealing the victory for the Argentine in a dramatic conclusion to the rally in South America.
Valenced Spaniard Tosha Schareina on a GasGas bike finished as the best Spanish rider on the final stage, placing ninth, 5 minutes 47 seconds behind Benavides. Salamanca native Lorenzo Santolín, riding a Sherco, ended twelfth on the stage, finishing the Dakar in the top ten overall after a 1 minute 38 second gap on the final run. The race’s podium was completed by Skyler Howes, who calmly completed the last stage about five minutes behind the champion, securing second place overall at 5 minutes 4 seconds behind Benavides.
Inside Rally2, the title went to French rider Romain Dumontier on Husqvarna, while Spaniard Javi Vega on Yamaha earned the silver medal in the Original by Motul category, finishing 17 minutes 16 seconds behind champion Charan Moore of South Africa, who was also on a Husqvarna. The final standings highlighted a dramatic return of South American soil to the Dakar throne and showcased a diverse field with strong performances from multiple manufacturers across the race’s demanding landscape.