Tough guy Kevin Benavides - broken nose and ankle injury can't stop the Honda rider on Dakar's Stage Five
By Team TMX on 7th Jan 21
Today saw another one-two for the Honda CRF450 RALLY, with Monster Energy Honda Team's Kevin Benavides and Jos Ignacio Cornejo occupying the top two places at the end of the fifth stage of the 2021 Dakar Rally.
With the opening third of the Dakar completed, Monster Energy Honda Team riders now aim to consolidate positions which will allow them to attack in the second half of the race.
The Dakar caravan moved on from the countrys capital towards north-eastern Saudi Arabia, bound for the new bivouac at Al Qaisumah a camp not originally scheduled, but added just days prior to the start of the rally.
After heading out from Riyadh this morning, riders rode a 72-kilometre link section which took them to the start of the 456-kilometre special stage. Later, came a 268-kilometre liaison section, before arriving at the bivouac situated in Al Oaisumah.
The navigation once again proved demanding, particularly for the riders leading the peloton which opened the track, but also for the adversaries attacking from more favourable positions behind. The special stage played out over hard, and sometimes rocky, terrain. Later there were stretches of sand and the final kilometres of the special stage even featured a few dunes.
Kevin Benavides claimed the days victory spoils after a ferocious pedal-to-the-metal performance from start to finish. He gave everything, yet a fall was to prevent him from winning the 2021 Dakar fifth stage. Monster Energy Honda Teams Argentinean rider thus moves to the head of the overall standings with a 231 advantage over the nearest second-placed rider.
"Today has been a hard day for me," said Benavides. "It was difficult because of the navigation and also because I suffered a hard fall on a dune. I hit my head hard against the GPS and my ankles also got twisted. It was very painful, but I did not give up and I kept going in the stage. It was not easy but I was finally able to win and I am very happy.
"Tomorrow, it will be my turn to open the track and I will have to defend myself to make any progress."
Benavides was being a little modest, riding in considerable pain after breaking his nose and suffering a lot of blood loss.
This marks a fourth Dakar stage win for Honda riders so far in this edition of the Dakar, with Benavides becoming the third rider from the winged brand to hold the overall lead after Brabec and Barreda.
Jos Ignacio Cornejo also collaborated in the Honda one-two today. The Chilean, who opened the track for much of the 456-kilometre special, with several of his closest rivals in hot pursuit, finished second on the day, precisely one minute behind his team-mate. Cornejo lies third place in the overall standings.
"This fifth stage was very long but also very tough," said Cornejo. "There was a bit of everything: rocks, trails and fast sections. At the start of the special there was a difficult area where many riders got lost, luckily, I was able to get passed it no problem which meant that I gained a lot of time. I caught up with the riders in front and I opened the track for 320km. I am very happy with the result. It was not what we had planned as a strategy, but I made the most of the opportunity. We hope to continue having solid stages and be in the fight for the top positions."
Tomorrows sixth stage will precede the rest day in Hail and will feature a special taking place 100 per cent in the sand, with significant dunes that could cause some thrills and spills. Competitors can expect a long day with 448 kilometres of special stage. Once back in Hail, riders will have completed a total days stage of 618 kilometres.
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