Chilean rider Nacho Cornejo, riding a Honda, returns to the Dakar scene this Sunday aiming for a third general classification victory as he faces a disciplined challenge from his compatriot rivals, the Benavides brothers. Kevin Cornejo on a KTM and Luciano Benavides on a Husqvarna delivered solid performances, finishing second and third respectively in this Sunday’s stage, underscoring the intense intra-national rivalry that characterizes the race this year.
Cornejo demonstrated blistering pace on the longest leg of the rally, covering 873 kilometers with 483 kilometers of timed special, and stopping the clock at 5 hours, 18 minutes, and 33 seconds. The effort pushed him closer to the two leading riders, American Ricky Brabec on a Honda and Botswana’s Ross Branch on a Hero, who remain at the forefront of the overall standings after this demanding test.
As the day unfolded, Brabec extended his lead in the general classification by a razor-thin margin of one second over Branch, who pressed hard and kept the pressure on the North American leader. Cornejo, meanwhile, closed the gap to the top two, just 6 minutes 48 seconds off the leaders, and moved into third overall, edging ahead of Adrien van Beveren of Sling who trailed in pursuit of the top trio.
Behind Cornejo, Kevin Cornejo—returning as the elder Benavides—held fifth place, with Luciano Benavides stuck in eighth position, his time gap standing at 43 minutes and 12 seconds behind the leaders. The Chilean rider Pablo Quintanilla faced a frustrating day, repeating a troubling pattern from the earlier 48-hour time trial as he sought to claw his way back on a stage that demanded endurance and technical skill in equal measure.
Quintanilla surged in the early part of the stage, grabbing a potential win and even leading the first two segments as the course stretched into the endless hours. Yet at kilometer 112, his motorcycle failed, costing him more than an hour and a half while technicians worked to revive the machine. Fuel shortages and a stalled start compounded the setback, forcing a delay that erased his earlier momentum and left him to chase the leaders once again as the race moved forward.
With Quintanilla off the pace, the battle narrowed to a duel between Cornejo and the strongest challenge from Benavides, though the Chilean showed the sharper form as the finish line approached. The day was not without drama from behind, as Brabec and Branch looked to flip the script in their favor, trading bursts of speed and tactical moves that kept the overall narrative alive for the race leaders.
Branch, who had held provisional leadership for extended stretches, found his advantage diminished in the finale by Brabec’s late surge. The American’s push paid off, and he crossed the line just fifty seconds ahead of Branch, tying their positions in the overall standings for the moment. The tightening race page after this stage remains dramatic, with eight riders currently within 43 minutes of the lead and any slip from the front-runners potentially reshaping the podium as the rally advances toward its decisive phases.
Entering the seventh stage, the competition had barely settled after the rest day in Riyadh, with the route skirting a mosaic of terrain—from fast desert tracks and shifting dunes to rough sandy stretches and scattered tarmac. The Dakar 2024 course, spanning Riyadh to Al Duwadimi, continues to test riders with its variety and unpredictability, resisting any easy path to victory.
Although Cornejo appears on a trajectory that could deliver multiple stage wins, the overall classification remains tightly bunched, as none of the other contenders has managed more than a single stage triumph. The endurance of the field, coupled with occasional mechanical or logistical hiccups, suggests the final verdict will only come on the last possible moment, if not after the final time check. In the broader Colombian and South American contingent, the performance of Quintanilla stands out for its resilience in the face of repeated technical adversity, underscoring the Dakar’s unforgiving nature and the stamina required to contend for victory across all stages. (Dakar 2024 organizers)
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