Nacho Cornejo on a Honda bike was close to securing the Dakar title in 2021 before a serious crash changed the outcome. He has pushed forward and reemerged as a leading force in the current motorcycle rankings. He dominated the 299-kilometer fourth special stage, which concluded the half marathon starting among palm trees in Al Hofuf on Monday. Honda celebrated a remarkable day with a strong one-two finish, led by American Ricky Brabec. Joan Barreda finished sixth and is creep ing toward the top ten overall after recent penalties shaped the race, even as his new Hero motorcycle seemed to show strong potential on the tracks.
Chilean rider Cornejo used his sixth starting position to tackle the decisive, fast segment with a strategic advantage. He controlled the course from the opening moments, facing fewer navigation challenges than expected and maintaining the pace that kept rivals at bay throughout most of the stage.
Barreda faced a tough setback with a 12 minute penalty for speeding on Monday, an increase from eight minutes on Sunday. He slipped to about fifteenth place but recovered with another standout performance, finishing the stage behind the winner by roughly seven minutes. The rider from Torreblanca remains in the Honda fold and sits twelfth in the overall standings with a total of 41 minutes and 34 seconds. He is within striking distance of the top ten and still has days ahead to try to climb higher if his form holds steady.
The rally features a strong showing by Ricky Brabec, the lone American to win the Dakar prior to this season. He delivered a second place on the stage and moved into third place in the general classification, trailing the current leader by a comfortable margin. Teammate Ross Branch, who races for Hero, encountered issues during the stage and finished with a handlebar problem that affected his performance, yet the overall resilience of the team was evident as they protected a solid position in the standings.
Kevin Benavides, the defending Dakar champion who recently recovered from fibula surgery, recorded a third place finish on the stage, finishing just twenty seconds behind Brabec. He remained steady in the provisional overall ranking, trailing the leader by a little over twenty minutes but staying within a realistic margin to contest the title as the event progresses. The day reinforced how tightly packed the competition remains at the front, with a handful of riders separated by fractions of time and each stage presenting a fresh chance to gain ground.