Kevin Benavides, the 2023 Dakar Champion and a key rider for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, has been ruled out of the upcoming Desafio Ruta 40 after a serious training accident. The incident occurred on May 11 at Mantillo MX Park near his home in Salta, Argentina. Benavides was immediately taken to the hospital, where doctors treated him for a fractured left arm and head injuries.

The injury is a significant blow, especially as it comes just weeks before his home rally, the Desafio Ruta 40, set to take place from June 1-7 in Argentina. This race was highly anticipated by both Benavides and his fans, as it presented an opportunity to compete on home soil.

Andreas Hölzl, the Rally Team Manager for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, commented on the situation: “Obviously, this is a massive setback for Kevin, made even worse by the fact it comes right before his home race in Argentina. Training for the upcoming Desafio Ruta 40 had been going really well, with the whole team working hard on the run up to the event. Thankfully, his injuries are not too serious and although he is still being monitored closely, he’s improving day by day. It’s not clear how long Kevin will be out of action for, but all at Red Bull KTM are behind him and wish to see him back with the team soon.”

Despite the setback, the team is optimistic about his recovery. Benavides is known for his resilience and determination, and fans are hopeful he will return to racing soon. The entire Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team extends their best wishes to Kevin for a speedy and full recovery.

This incident is a reminder of the risks involved in motorsports and the resilience required to overcome such challenges. As Benavides recovers, the focus will shift to supporting him through his rehabilitation and ensuring he returns stronger than ever.

O conteúdo Kevin Benavides Out of Desafio Ruta 40 After Training Crash aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal has come to an end, with Tosha Schareina finishing as the winner on a day in which the Portuguese were in the spotlight.

In a race that counts towards the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), the Monster Energy Honda Team rider was the standout at the end of the event, with a gap of 4m38s over the Portuguese-German Sebastian Bühler (Hero), who achieved his best ever individual result in the competition.

Also in top form was Bruno Santos (Husqvarna), who completed the overall podium and won the Rally2 category.

In terms of the day’s classification, the winner was Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda), with Schareina second, 15s behind his teammate, and Bühler third.

This was Schareina’s second Rally-Raids victory and his first in the W2RC.

O conteúdo Tosha Schareina wins BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal; A. Van Beveren is stage winner aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

On the penultimate day of the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, António Maio emerged as the fastest rider of a stage. The event is part of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), marking the third round of the season that began in January with the Dakar 2024.

In the fourth stage, riders tackled a timed route of 253km from Badajoz to Grândola, with Maio (Yamaha) setting the pace: he clocked a time of 2h39m44s, finishing 29 seconds ahead of Adrien van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda). Bruno Santos (Husqvarna) secured third place, 35 seconds behind the winner.

The top five was rounded out by Skyler Howes and Tosha Schareina, both from Monster Energy Honda. Bradley Cox (BAS World KTM Racing Team) finished sixth ahead of the Hero MotoSports duo, Sebastian Bühler and Ross Branch.

With just one day remaining, Schareina extended her lead in the overall standings, now holding a 4m33s advantage over Bühler. Santos remains in third place, and despite winning the stage, Maio maintains fourth position. Howes completes the top five.

O conteúdo António Maio wins stage 4 of BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Tosha Schareina once again won the third stage of the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, thus strengthening his lead in this round of the Rally-Raid World Championship (W2RC).

In the longest stage of the event, covering 300km, the riders started from Grândola and finished in Badajoz, Spain. Schareina (Monster Energy Honda) completed the route in 3h28m03s, surpassing Bühler (Hero MotoSports) by 44 seconds. Bruno Santos, riding a Husqvarna, finished third, 2m59s behind, followed by Adrien van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda).

On a day when the Portuguese riders performed well competing at home, António Maio (Yamaha) completed the top five. His result could have been better if he hadn’t received a six-minute penalty. Without it, Maio would have finished third.

With two days to go, Schareina leads Bühler by 3m40s in the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal. Santos is third, exactly ten minutes behind, and Maio climbed to fourth, trailing by 12m06s from the top. Skyler Howes (Monster Energy Honda) is in fifth place, while Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) suffered the most losses this Friday, dropping to sixth.

O conteúdo Tosha Schareina beat Sebastian Bühler and solidified his lead in the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

A great day for Sebastian Bühler in the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid. The Portuguese-German rider won the second stage of this round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) and came much closer to Tosha Schareina’s lead.

The route covered 166km of timed sections, with Bühler (Hero MotoSports) completing it in 1h47m59s. Thus, he surpassed Adrien van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda) by 1m09s.

Bruno Santos (Husqvarna) finished third, 1m58s behind, with Bradley Cox (BAS World KTM Racing Team) and Skyler Howes (Monster Energy Honda) completing the top five. After yesterday’s double win, Schareina (Monster Energy Honda) finished sixth on this second day of the race, losing 2m48s to the fastest rider.

In the overall classification, Schareina maintained the lead, but now has only a 2m56s gap over Bühler, who moved up to second place. Howes is third, 4m17s behind, while Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) dropped to fourth. António Maio (Yamaha) completes the top five.

O conteúdo Sebastian Bühler won stage 2 of the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid and closed in on the lead aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The BP Ultimate Rally-Raid, the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), began this Wednesday in Alentejo. Tosha Schareina was the fastest in the prologue and the first stage.

In the prologue, the Spanish rider from Monster Energy Honda completed the 4km timed stage in 3m29s to outpace his teammate Adrien van Beveren by two seconds. Edgar Canet Ardèvol (XRaids Experience/KTM) achieved the third fastest time, followed by Ross Branch and Sebastian Bühler (Hero MotoSports). The top five were separated by less than ten seconds.

The first stage had 101km of timed sections during the afternoon. Schareina was once again the fastest, this time beating Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) by a clear margin of 4m02s. Following closely was Skyler Howes (Monster Energy Honda) at 4m13s, with the big surprise being António Maio’s fourth place on a Yamaha. Pablo Quintanilla (Monster Energy Honda) rounded out the top five, but incurred a four-minute penalty. Bühler finished sixth and, a bit further down.

After the opening day, Schareina leads the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid with a 4m15s advantage over Santolino. Howes is third, Maio is fourth, and Quintanilla is fifth ahead of Bühler and Branch. Van Beveren is only 14th after incurring a 12-minute penalty, costing him the victory in the first stage.

O conteúdo Tosha Schareina leads the opening day of the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

A star-studded entry list for the BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal. This is the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), featuring one of the starting drivers, Rick Brabec – about three months after winning the Dakar for the second time.

The event, scheduled for April 2-7 in Alentejo, Ribatejo, and Extremadura (Spain), will include five riders from Monster Energy Honda: Brabec, as well as Adrien van Beveren, Pablo Quintanilla, Skyler Howes, and Tosha Schareina.

Ross Branch of Hero MotoSports will also compete in the Rally Raid Portugal – meaning all the riders who finished in the top three of this year’s Dakar will be on the starting line.

Two other factory riders present are Sebastian Bülher (Hero MotoSports) and Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco). In total, there will be 64 entries. After two rounds, Branch leads the W2RC with 50 points, 12 more than Brabec. Aaron Mare (Hero MotoSports) is third, 25 points off the top.

You can check the complete entry list at this link.

O conteúdo Elite of rally-raid competes in Portuguese round of W2RC… including the winner of Dakar 2024 aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The career of one of Portugal’s most prestigious riders comes to an end. Joaquim Rodrigues announced his retirement from competitive motorcycling this Saturday, about two months after the Dakar 2024.

Over 35 years, he competed in the biggest events not only in off-road racing but also in motocross and supercross – he even participated in the Motocross World Championship and the AMA Supercross in the United States of America. In a later phase, he dedicated himself to off-road racing and competed in seven editions of the Dakar. He won a stage in 2022, with his best final result being 17th place in 2019.

The death of his brother-in-law Paulo Gonçalves during the Dakar 2020 was a turning point. ‘Everything changed’, admitted Rodrigues on social media, adding: ‘I know I’ve never felt like the same rider again. Not out of fear or concern about accidents, but such an immense loss leads us to put everything else into perspective and see life differently’.

However, the rider from Barelos continued to train and compete for another four years. Now, the decision to end his career has come: ‘Recently, I watched the Abu Dhabi race from the sidelines, and for the first time in my career, I felt good being there. […]. I felt like I was in the right place. […]. I spoke openly with the team, who understood and accepted my desire to leave competition’, he explained.

Representing Hero MotoSports, Rodrigues also wrote: ‘I felt it was time to leave, and I should do it in the same honest way I’ve always managed my career. It wasn’t right to be there deceiving Hero, the sponsors, those who have always supported me, by being physically present when my mind was telling me it was time to stop. So I decided to leave on my own terms. That’s why I made the decision not to return to professional competition. I hope everyone understands my decision. We all must know when to stop and respect those who wish to stop. A pause that is not a goodbye’.

As for the immediate future, the Portuguese received an invitation from Hero MotoSports to remain connected to the structure.

O conteúdo Joaquim Rodrigues ends his career after 35 years aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Many say that nothing lasts forever and that every love story has an end and so it was with Toby Price and KTM, who officially announced the end of their partnership just moments ago.

For 15 years, Price has been a prominent figure in the world of competitive motorcycling, riding KTM bikes for the majority of his career. His journey began in Australia, where he clinched an impressive five Australian Off-Road Championship titles before transitioning to the global arena. Notably, at the 2014 FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), he showcased his prowess by dominating the E3 category while representing his nation, laying the foundation for his rally career.

In 2016, in just his second year as a factory rider, Price secured a remarkable victory at the Dakar Rally, dominating five stages and clinching the overall win with a substantial lead. His triumphs didn’t stop there; in 2019, despite battling a broken wrist during the grueling race, he clinched his second Dakar Rally victory astride his KTM 450 RALLY. The 2024 Dakar Rally marked his impressive 10th participation in the event, a testament to his enduring excellence.

Price’s achievements extend beyond the Dakar, as evidenced by his 2018 triumph as the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion, where he displayed consistent excellence throughout the season, including a notable victory at the Rallye du Maroc.

As Toby embarks on the next chapter of his career, KTM expresses its heartfelt gratitude for the countless milestones achieved alongside Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. The entire team extends their best wishes to Toby for continued success in his future endeavors.

Pit Beirer – KTM Motorsports Director: ‘A massive thank you to Toby for everything he has contributed to our rally program, and for the passion he has constantly shown for the sport and the brand. Joining the KTM family over 15 years ago, he has brought home a collection of trophies and successes for the team, including his world championship title and two Dakar wins. Toby has been a hugely influential member of the rally team, and his significance to the brand and its many triumphs cannot be overstated. I’m certain I speak for all at KTM when I wish him well in his future endeavors’.

O conteúdo Breaking news: Toby Price and KTM part ways after 15 years aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Aaron Maré confirmed his victory in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the second round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). Ross Branch was the fastest in the fifth and final stage, which took place this Saturday.

There were 206 kilometers timed between Mezaira’a and Abu Dhabi, with Branch (Hero MotoSports) completing the course in 2h32m58s. He was 2m42s faster than Konrad Dabrowski (Duust Rally Team/KTM), while Jeanloup Lepan (Duust Rally Team/KTM) finished third, 5m22s behind. Maré (Hero MotoSports) had a considerable margin in the overall classification and finished fourth in the stage, eight minutes behind the winner. Abdullah Lanjawi (Kove) completed the top five in the stage.

In the final overall classification, Maré became the winner with a lead of 4m56s over Dabrowski, with Lepan closing the podium. Branch held onto fourth place, while Jan Brabec (Strojrent Racing/KTM) confirmed fifth position.

O conteúdo Aaron Maré won the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.