A Nail-Biter Finale for Motorcycle Competitors in the 2023 Dakar Rally

Written by Willem Avenant | Photos by Rally Zone, Provided by KTM Factory Racing

After a grueling first half of the Dakar rally and a rest day in Riyadh, the second part of the race headed into the famous Rub’ al Khali, dubbed the “Empty Quarter.” A region covering 650,000 square kilometers, the Empty Quarter is filled with awe-inspiring dunes and a vast sea of sand.

Leading into the last six stages, riders were feeling somewhat energized and were looking forward to sunnier, drier conditions after the rains that plagued the first part of the race. With only 3 minutes separating the top six riders after the rest day, the second part of Dakar 2023 was going to be down to the wire, delivering the kind of competition organizers intended with the rule changes like the time bonus system they implemented this year.

Click Here to read the report on first 8 stages.

• Stage 9

The post-rest day stage covered 686 km from Riyadh to Haradh. As the riders traveled to the Empty Quarter and with the second half of the race looming, disaster struck for Joan Barreda after jumping a 30m broken dune. He suffered a fractured vertebra but fortunately did not damage his spinal cord.

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It was also a bad day for American phenom Mason Klein, who crashed twice—both times losing consciousness. The first crash caused him to lose his roadbook and the second involved a collision with Adrien van Beveren, injuring Klein’s wrist.

Luciano Benavides was fastest on the day, securing a stage win—the first time anybody has won two stages in this Dakar on a bike.

The podium was rounded off by Toby Price in second, seemingly starting to position himself for a bid at the Dakar throne, and Skyler Howes placed third.

• Stage 10

The next stage was 624km, with a short special from Haradah to Shabah. The special was designed to be shorter, as riders entered the Empty Quarter proper, with its extensive dune areas. It was also the shortest stage of this year’s Dakar, but still a very early start with the first bikes leaving the bivouac at 2:30 am.

It was another phenomenal day for Ross Branch. The “Kalahari Ferrari” was at home in the sand, taking the top spot for the stage and securing a second stage win for Hero Motorcycles. Behind him were Adrien van Beveren and Michael Docherty—Docherty being the first Rally 2 rider on a podium this year.

But it was another sad day the American Rally Originals team, as Paul Neff crashed out of the race when he encountered a hidden dune. He reportedly suffered dislocated wrists, many broken ribs, and small non-displaced fractures in the lower spine.

The hopes of the ARO quintet to put the first American on the podium in the Malle Moto class then rested on two riders, Mo Hart and Jim Pearson. Pearson suffered an engine failure on the stage but was still in the race.

• Stage 11

This was the start of the dreaded “marathon” stage where riders are not allowed any outside help, have to work on their bikes themselves and can only use what they carry with them on the bikes. The bivouac for the night was also at a different location than that of the maintenance crews. After a short period where riders were allowed to work on their bikes, the motorcycles were taken to a closed area where they had to stay untouched for the night.

The 427 km from Haradh to the Empty Quarter marathon bivouac in Ardah was mainly dunes and massive “chotts,” or dried lake beds, where riders could really twist the throttle and go flat out (keeping in mind the top speed is restricted to 160km/h).

Luciano Benavides did just that, managing his third stage win, the first person to have three stage wins in this Dakar, followed by Sanders and Price. Overall, however, Howes moved into the top spot, with a slim 28-second margin on Kevin Benavides who dethroned Howes as the race leader on stage 10.

• Stage 12

The end of the marathon stage brought the riders back to their service crews, 376km from the bivouac to Shaybah over massive dunes and large chotts.

Nacho Cornejo claimed the stage victory, sharing the podium with the two Aussies, Sanders and Price.

Price moved into the overall lead of the race, proving that his plan was working and clearly showing his experience in this race.

Another disaster hit the ARO team in Stage 12, with Jim Pearson suffering his second engine failure in the race, ending his Dakar dream. After Pearson dropped out, the ARO team’s hopes were now pinned on one last rider, Mo Hart.

At this point, the gap between the top three riders was less than three minutes, with only 28 seconds separating Price and Howes for the top spot.

• Stage 13

The penultimate stage was another short sand special with lots of soft dunes, but it had another massive liaison that spanned 675km from Shaybah to Al-Hofuf. It was also a day that marked the return of the rains that plagued the first half of the rally.

Michael Docherty was all but set for his second Dakar stage win, but he was unseated by Kevin Benavides who received time back for stopping to help crashed KTM teammate Matthias Walkner who was later forced to drop out of the race. It was clear that Walkner’s crash had an emotional effect on many of the riders, affecting their riding. Luciano Benavides took third place on the stage.

By far the most suspenseful and contested Dakar in recent memory, Stage 13 stage did not bring any clarity on who would win the toughest race in the world.

In the overall rankings Price and Kevin Benavides were separated by 12 seconds (this amounts to roughly a 300m lead), Howes trailed by over a minute. Unfortunately, Mason Klein had to withdraw from the race due to his Stage 9 injuries—a crushing blow, and no doubt a very difficult decision for this talented American rider.

Of the 11 Americans on bikes who started this race only four were left: Skyler Howes, Jacob Argubright, Petr Vlcek and Mo Hart.

• Stage 14

In the past, the final stage was often considered a perfunctory one, with a short distance and the leaderboard basically already set. But this year it was designed to be more challenging, with riders starting in reverse order in groups of five. And with such a small gap between the top riders after 14 days of racing, it all came down to the final 417km from Al-Hofuf to Damman. The rain from the previous day brought slippery conditions and created mud pits, causing some riders to get stuck. The race was flat out until the end. But Kevin Benavides shined as he made up time on Price and nabbed the Dakar win.

After a grueling 14 days of racing, only 43 seconds separated the winner of Dakar 2023, Kevin Benavides, from his KTM teammate, Toby Price. Skyler Howes fought hard in this race, and it was a flat out race all the way to the end, with the American taking the third spot on the podium.

Jacob Argubright finished 22nd overall and third in the Rookie category, an exceptional performance for his first Dakar.

While no American has ever finished the Dakar in the Malle Moto category, Mo Hart from the ARO team shared this honor with Petr Vlcek, who finished the 2023 Dakar in 85th and 59th position respectively, making Dakar history.

In all, 135 motorcycle competitors, including 11 Americans, started the race. Dakar is the toughest, longest race on the planet, and 2023 was the most grueling edition in recent years. After 14 days of racing and covering a total of 8,500km, 89 bikes crossed the finish line, including 4 Americans.