Honda Motor : Kevin Benavides Claims First Dakar Rally Victory Honda Wins Motorcycle Category for Second Straight Edition

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Kevin Benavides Claims First Dakar Rally Victory Honda Wins Motorcycle Category for Second Straight Edition

January 15, 2021

Motorcycle

January 15, 2021 - Monster Energy Honda Team rider Kevin Benavides rode his CRF450 RALLY factory bike to overall victory in the motorcycle category on Friday, January 15 after completing the 12th stage of the 2021 Dakar Rally held in Saudi Arabia. Last edition's winner Ricky Brabec came in second-place, giving Honda its first 1-2 victory since 1987 and its second consecutive victory in the motorcycle category.

32-year-old Argentine Kevin Benavides rode his first Dakar Rally in 2016, racing for the Honda South America Rally Team, finishing his debut race in 4th place. Since then, Benavides has raced for Monster Energy Honda Team*. In this year's edition, Benavides won the fifth stage, giving him the overall lead. Despite relinquishing his position once, he regained the lead in Stage 10, which he defended with a solid performance until the end, earning his first Dakar victory.

2021 marks the 43rd edition of the Dakar Rally, which was first held in 1979 (then known as the Paris-Dakar Rally), and the second edition since moving to Saudi Arabia. Honda first competed in the Dakar, dubbed the most grueling motor sports competition, in the third edition in 1981. Five years later in 1986, Honda won its first Dakar with the NXR750, and went on to win the three following editions as well. Honda left Dakar competition in 1990, and returned in 2013 (when the Dakar was held in South America) with the CRF450 RALLY. In 2020, Honda won for the first time since returning to the event.

*Benavides did not compete in 2017 due to injury. He was second overall in 2018, fifth in 2019, and 19th in 2020.

Kevin Benavides（right） Ricky Brabec（Left）

Kevin Benavides and his CRF450 RALLY

■ Yoshishige Nomura | Honda Racing Corporation President

'Congratulations Kevin Benavides! I am also truly grateful to Ricky Brabec for completing such a grueling rally in a manner as good as winning, José Ignacio Cornejo who led the rally until his unfortunate retirement, and Joan Barreda. Monster Energy Honda Team riders could only perform as well as they did despite the COVID-19 situation, because of the team staff and everyone in the development team working smart to overcome the many difficulties. I am truly grateful. I would also like to share our elation in victory and our gratitude with our sponsors, and all of our fans. And last but certainly not least, I respect and thank the race organizers and the other teams for making this event a reality despite the extreme circumstances.'

■ Kevin Benavides

Birth date: January 9, 1989 (32 years old)
Birthplace: Argentina

Highlights
2016 Dakar Rally: 4th (Stage win: 1)
2018 Dakar Rally: 2nd (Stage win: 1)
2019 Dakar Rally: 5th
2020 Dakar Rally: 19th (Stage win: 1)

Symbolmark

■ Honda's Dakar Rally Track Record

Year	Best finish	Best rider	Nationality	Model
1986	1st	Cyril Neveu	France	NXR750
1987	1st	Cyril Neveu	France	NXR750
1988	1st	Edi Orioli	Italy	NXR750
1989	1st	Gilles Lalay	France	NXR750
* 1990 - 2012: Honda did not compete in the Dakar Rally
2013	7th	Helder Rodrigues	Portugal	CRF450 RALLY
2014	5th	Helder Rodrigues	Portugal	CRF450 RALLY
2015	2nd	Paulo Gonçalves	Portugal	CRF450 RALLY
2016	4th	Kevin Benavides	Argentina	CRF450 RALLY
2017	5th	Joan Barreda	Spain	CRF450 RALLY
2018	2nd	Kevin Benavides	Argentina	CRF450 RALLY
2019	5th	Kevin Benavides	Argentina	CRF450 RALLY
2020	1st	Ricky Brabec	USA	CRF450 RALLY
2021	1st	Kevin Benavides	Argentina	CRF450 RALLY

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