Rally Dakar 2021 is officially over, with Argentinean Kevin Benavides taking the win. It’s a historic moment for Benavides; no Argentinean – or indeed South American – rider has ever won the Dakar in the motorcycle class. The 32-year-old rode his first Dakar Rally in 2016, racing for the Honda South America Rally Team, finishing his debut race in 4th place. Benavides has been with Monster Energy Honda Team ever since. This year, the Argentinean won the fifth stage giving him the overall lead, and fought for the victory till the end.
“It was absolutely crazy. I started third and after fifty kilometers, I was in the front, opening the stage. I feel that everything was complicated because Ricky started to catch up with me. I started to push a lot, all day, and stayed focused. I went at one hundred and ten percent, but now it’s true: I’ve won the Dakar – I’m so, so happy! I did some mistakes, for sure. I think it’s impossible to do a perfect Dakar. The important thing is to always continue, to stay calm and focused day by day and to work hard day by day. On stage 5 I was worried because I crashed so fast and hit my head and my ankle and felt a lot of pain. On that day, I said maybe the Dakar is finished for me. But I continued pushing. You don’t think, you just concentrate on the action and nothing else, because everything can change in one second. I am really proud to be the first South American winner”, Benavides said.