The third special test of the motorcycle category of the Dakar 2024 consisted of 438 timed kilometers, in which it was known that the riders would encounter many difficulties. However, they managed to reach the finish line in Al Salamiya to enjoy two hours of assistance from their mechanics, with Pablo Quintanilla as leader, although the situation changed shortly afterwards.
The organization announced a series of penalties that hit the top two finishers, both the Chilean Honda rider and his former teammate, Joan Barreda, who dropped from 1st and 2nd place to 7th and 15th respectively. ° place. Kevin Benavides therefore won the special stage and this gives the KTM Argentinian reason to believe in his chances of repeating last year's victory if he manages to reduce the 20 minutes he pays against the leader of the general classification, Ross Branch, as well he ended up on the list of penalized players like Ricky Brabec (both however only paid for one minute).
Apparently, and as reported in the press room to the media, including Motorsport.com, Pablo Quintanilla exceeded a speed limit of 30 km/h, and reached 84 km/h, so he was penalized six minutes. In the case of the Spaniard from Hero, the penalty was twelve minutes, therefore much more painful, since in one neutralization zone he drove at 85 km/h and in the other at 98 km/h.
The race organizers released a short statement: “Pablo Quintanilla, announced as the winner of today's stage ahead of Joan Barreda and Kevin Benavides, was unable to secure his seventh stage victory. The Chilean, as well as Barreda, Brabec and Branch , among others, were penalized for speeding during the stage.”
“The victory therefore goes to Kevin Benavides, followed by Brabec and van Beveren. The Argentine thus makes his debut on the scoreboard of stage victories of this edition, achieving the eighth of his career and equaling Sam Sunderland and Alfie Cox, KTM legend.. whose son Bradley was also caught by radar in Rally 2. Overall, Branch maintains the lead, with 3'11'' on Cornejo and 5'08'' on Brabec”, continues the note.
Dakar | General Moto ranking updated after Stage 3
| Pos | Pilot | Motorcycle | Time/Gap | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ross Branch | Hero | 14.32'51” | +1'00″ |
| 2 | Jose Cornejo | Honda | +3'11″ | |
| 3 | Ricky Brabec | Honda | +5'08″ | +1'00″ |
| 4 | Pablo Quintanilla | Honda | +16'16″ | +6'00″ |
| 5 | Adrien van Beveren | Honda | +20'16″ | |
| 6 | Kevin Benavides | KTM | +20'32″ | |
| 7 | Toby Price | KTM | +22'57″ | |
| 8 | Daniel Sanders | GasGas | +24'13″ | |
| 9 | Luciano Benavides | Husqvarna | +27'00″ | |
| 10 | Martin Michek | KTM | +27'12″ |
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