In an ocean with no water, riding waves that never meet a beach, the world’s most skilled off-road bike riders and four-wheeled vehicle drivers hunt the line to a Dakar rally victory.
Nothing defines off-road racing like ripping in the dunes and GasGas Factory Racing’s 2022 Dakar champ Sam Sunderland and team-mate Daniel Sanders will begin the highly-anticipated 46th edition of the world’s toughest rally-raid – the infamous Dakar Rally – up against arch rivals from the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, Kevin Benavides and Toby Price.
These riders are all fully focused on success as they complete their final preparations ahead of the 2024 Dakar Rally, which starts in Saudi Arabia on January 5.
Coming into the 2024 Dakar as reigning champion from 2023, Benavides has his sights set on securing back-to-back titles at the iconic event. However, the 2023 season was not a kind one for the 34-year-old Argentinian, with injuries forcing him to miss several races over the course of the year.
Despite suffering a further, frustrating injury to his leg while training this month, Benavides hopes to be close to 100% fit for Dakar and able to focus on his goal of bringing home the trophy for the second year in a row.
Kevin Benavides: “The Dakar means everything to me. This year was special because I won with KTM, and I had the honour of fighting right to the end with my teammate. The rest of this year has been really tough.
“I was full of confidence after my Dakar win, but then breaking my femur early in the season, followed by my wrist later on, meant I didn’t get much race time on the bike at all.
“Behind the scenes, I was training as hard as I could to rebuild my fitness and mental strength, but it’s been a difficult year, for sure. Now, heading into a new year and a new Dakar, I really want to put 2023 behind me and fight for the win once again.
“I know I have what it takes, we just need to get through it without any setbacks and I should be well in the fight at the end of the race. We’re just a few weeks away from the start and I can’t wait to get going.”
Missing out on the 2023 Dakar Rally win by a mere 43 seconds after two tough weeks of racing, Australian rider Price has one goal for the 2024 event – to clinch his third career victory.
Price enjoyed a strong season of racing in 2023, finishing off his year with a convincing win at the Rallye du Maroc. 2024 marks Price’s 10th Dakar and he hopes to celebrate that milestone by topping the timesheets at the finish in Yanbu on January 19.
Toby Price: “The 2024 Dakar will be my 10th overall and my ninth riding for the KTM factory team. Out of the nine we’ve done together, I’ve managed to podium in six, which is incredible when you think about how tough the race is and how hard it is to even reach the finish.
“I’ve had two first-place finishes, a second, and three thirds – to clinch another win on my 10th attempt would be amazing. Dakar is like no other race. For sure, the riding is hard work, fun, and exhausting, but I love the way everyone comes together to complete the race.
“Dakar is like my second family, so it’s always good to see everyone, get ready for the race, and get my competitive side back going again. I’m in a good place physically, and the bike is good – we’re definitely ready to race Dakar 2024.”
The 46th edition of the Dakar Rally will be held from January 5-19, 2024, starting in AlUla and concluding two weeks later in Yanbu on the shores of the Red Sea. In total, competitors will cover close to 8,000km, 5,000 of which will be raced against the clock. For its fifth year in Saudi Arabia, the 2024 rally is set to include 14 days of racing, including an opening prologue and a 48-hour stage.
During the new 48-hour stage, riders will be stopped at 4pm on the first day before heading off again at 7am the next day.
The organisers have promised an incredibly challenging race with 60% new terrain and over 5000km of special stage.
Photo courtesy Sebas Romero, KTM
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