Incredible talent, an incredible mindset, and incredible determination; that’s what we found when we talked to Laia Sanz. A Dakar hero in her own right, the Spanish ace has defied the stereotypes to become one of the most-respected rally racers in the world.
The Rally du Maroc concluded the five-round FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price won the event to be crowned the 2018 champion.
There are not many things more READY TO RACE than the KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA and this dune-eating, rally-bashing, Dakar-loving race machine has been re-designed from the ground up. Almost identical to the KTM 450 RALLY factory bike that took KTM to its 17th consecutive Dakar victory earlier this year with Matthias Walkner, this bike is the ultimate machine for those racing in rally competition.
KTM Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides is 23 years old. Joining the rally squad, the Argentinian had no previous experience in the notoriously difficult rally races, but he had the speed, the will and the right kind of personality for the job. Heading towards his second Dakar, which will take place next January, the KTM-ace is optimistic on what he can achieve.
Stefan Huber talks rally testing, rider characters and improvement by destruction!
The incredibly tough Dakar Rally is definitely the highlight and most prestigious race in the calendar for the Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Racing Team. However, the work never ceases; not only does the team race selected rounds of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, testing and development continues right the way through the year.
Just months after a disappointed Sam Sunderland crashed out of the Dakar Rally, the British-ace is back on the podium with a runner-up spot in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
We followed Jurgen van den Goorbergh in his run up to his final Rally Dakar entry; his final attempt at winning the Malle Moto class. Obviously we’re very curious as to how the Dutchman got on in 2018’s rally. The former MotoGP™ rider spills his guts on the hardship of the most grueling rally raid in the world.
It’s like a fairy-tale. In 2017, Matthias Walkner finished runner-up at the Rally Dakar. A year later, after working hard on both his fitness and navigation, he returned to the Dakar on the new KTM 450 RALLY machine he’d helped to develop. After two weeks of riding in one of the toughest Dakars ever, Matthias clinched victory – an Austrian rider on-board an Austrian machine, with an Austrian title sponsor!
As we reach the well-earned rest day of Dakar 2018, it can certainly be said that this year’s route so far has been one of the toughest. From the start in Lima, Peru to today’s rest day in La Paz, Bolivia, the competitors have passed through days of desert and will now head into the mountains, racing at an altitude of over 2,500 meters.
