Honda on top again after Stage Six and lead Dakar outright

2024 Dakar Rally – Stage Six (Day Two)
Shubaytah > Shubaytah

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price has wrapped up the 48 Hour Chrono two-day stage as runner-up, closing out the first week of racing on a high, with a day of rest in store for riders on Saturday.  Toby Price is now fifth in the outright rankings, two places ahead of countryman Daniel Sanders.

Adrien Van Beveren of the Monster Energy Honda Team took the stage win while team-mate Ricky Brabec was third on Friday and is the current outright leader ahead of Ross Branch and Van Beveren.

Adrien Van Beveren – P1

“This stage was really important for me, since we’d known what it would entail I knew that I could do well here in the dunes and make a difference. I went fast at the beginning but emptied the first fuel tank really early so I had to change my riding style and make it smoother to try to improve my fuel economy. I got into a good rhythm and to get the win was nice. I’m glad I did the 48 Hour Chrono, it was a good experience to tackle this long stage in the dunes. Yesterday we all arrived completely destroyed, it was really physical but I’m glad that we had this opportunity.”

With a relatively short 112 kilometres of racing on Friday to complete the two-day marathon stage six, riders left their temporary bivouac in Saudi’s Empty Quarter and headed back to their teams at Shubaytah. After an intensely long day yesterday on the first leg of the stage, and experiencing the bare minimum in comforts overnight, all competitors were glad to finish the 835-kilometre two-day stage and complete what has proved to be a long and exhausting first week at Dakar ’24.

Going into the marathon stage on Thursday, Toby Price knew his later start position would prove advantageous. Arriving at the rest point yesterday as third-fastest, Toby went one place better today to complete the stage as runner-up.

The result now moves him up into the top five overall where he trails the provisional race leader by exactly 27 minutes. Although the gap is a little higher than the two-time Dakar champion would like, he now looks ahead to the second week of competition, confident of gaining time on his rivals.

Toby Price – P2

“The marathon stage has definitely been a little tougher than we thought it was going to be. It was such a long day yesterday – we did about 513 kilometres in the dunes and raced for around six hours and 40 minutes! At the bivouac, we were just given a sleeping bag, a tent, a small box of food rations and tried to get some sleep. Today was good – just 112 kilometres – and it felt great to reach the finish line. We all deserve our rest day, that’s for sure. Overall, at the end of this first week, I’m feeling good, and the bike has been faultless. We’re not quite where we’d hoped we would be in terms of time, but there’s still a whole second week to go, so we’re ready for it.”

Ricky Brabec – P3

“There was a lot of time in the dunes but I didn’t mind that as the challenge of going for many hours and kilometres made it a lot of fun. Camping with the boys was a blast, we had a really good time last night although we didn’t get much sleep. The stage was 100% dunes but it was really cool and I hope they do something like this again. Rocks and open deserts are a bit better for me and with the dunes I really pushed but I also played it safe towards the end as I didn’t want to open stage seven. I’m in a good place going into next week, so let’s see what happens in the next six days.”

By getting most of the hard work done on yesterday’s first leg of the new Dakar chrono stage, Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders completed the final 112 kilometres and posted the fourth-fastest time overall.

After racing for just over eight hours in total over the two days through the special, Chucky was certainly impressive. And for his efforts, he’s knocking on the door of the top-five now as the race reaches the halfway point. Sanders’ result moves him up to seventh overall now.

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Daniel Sanders – P4

“Together, stages 6a and 6b were very long! Yesterday was definitely a tough one and afterwards I didn’t get much food or sleep. Luckily, I got a fair way through the stage yesterday, so it was a quick sprint to finish today which wasn’t too bad. I’m happy to make it to the finish line and looking forward to the rest day. It looks like week two will be just as hard, so we’ll see how we go.”

Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides safely arrived at the bivouac in Shubaytah following the 48-hour chrono stage. After claiming sixth overall in the ultra-demanding, 626-kilometre timed special, the FR 450 Rally rider now sits eighth in the provisional overall standings at the end of Dakar week one.

Luciano Benavides – P6

“It was a crazy marathon stage. I felt really good on the bike and I pushed as much as I could. I’m ready for the rest day, especially as yesterday was really tough as we completed over 500 kilometres in the dunes. The plan now is to rest and reset, then push hard again next week when we start week two.”

As the seventh rider to enter the 48-hour chrono stage yesterday, Kevin Benavides soon found himself up near the front of the pack with little in the way of tracks ahead of him. Despite his position, the reigning Dakar champion was able to navigate through the stage in good time and arrive safely at the bivouac. Due to his position near the front, Kevin was the fourth rider to enter today’s 112-kilometre timed special, but maintained a good pace over the final section of dunes to complete stage six in seventh place.

Kevin Benavides – P7

“We’ve finished the 48-hour marathon stage now. I think it was a good experience – something new to Dakar. Yesterday we raced for so long through the dunes, after well over six hours we arrived at the rest point and were just given a tent, a sleeping bag, and some food. It was really good fun though, camping out with the rest of the guys. Today was a lot shorter – we did just over 112 kilometres. I think I did a good job – my starting positions on both days weren’t the best, but I didn’t make too many mistakes and was able to complete it all safely. I’m in a good condition physically, looking forward to the rest day, but then we start the second week and try to push again.”

The rider with the most spectacular moustache in the bivouac, Skyler Howes, suffered a huge blow to his Dakar, just 39 km into yesterday’s proceedings he had to retire from the rally with a mechanical problem.

Skyler Howes – DNF/Retired

“I’m gutted to have to exit the rally early. After a less than ideal start I was looking forward to the chrono stage and the second week to claw back the time that I lost in the first couple of days. The issue that took me out is nobody’s fault, not mine, mechanics or the team. When you’re pushing at the maximum level for this many days, luck has a big part to play and yesterday I drew the short stick. Sometimes this happens in racing and all we can do is learn from it. Now I’m looking forward to the year ahead and focusing on being better. Failure and adversity can be the best teacher, one I’m familiar with.”

Other retirements included early top runner Mason Klein after the engine on his Kove machine gave out. Joan Barreda Bort was another high profile retirement.

2024 Dakar Rally Stage Six (Day Two) Results

Dakar Rally 2024 Route Map

2024 Dakar Rally Schedule