The 46th edition of the event is billed to be one of the most challenging to date, with nearly 5, kilometres of timed specials and a new hour stage designed to push riders and teams to the limit. After clinching the world championship title in , Luciano is eager to keep his positive momentum going as he heads into the Dakar.
At the event, the Argentinian won three stages and finished sixth overall, matching his career-best result from Going on to claim four podiums on his FR Rally in , Luciano had a stellar rally-raid season. At the Sonora Rally in Mexico, Benavides once again finished on the podium, this time in third place. Luciano dedicated himself to extensive testing and training with the team during the long summer break. That hard work paid off, with the year-old securing a second-place finish at his home race in Argentina β the Desafio Ruta A fourth podium result at the final round of the championship, the Rallye du Maroc in Morocco, ensured the Husqvarna Factory Racing star was crowned world champion.
Overall, Benavides claimed an impressive 10 stage wins across the five-round season. Heading into , and fired up by his championship win, Luciano is looking to improve on his previous Dakar results and finish on the podium to ensure a strong start to the new season.
With 60 percent of the route covering brand-new territory in Saudi, navigation skills will be more crucial than ever. I remember watching the Dakar in Salta, seeing all the top guys race so close to my home was a crazy experience. You go through so much and feel so much in just one Dakar that you would need 10 years to fit it all in any other way. Winning stage six was something that changed my mind and perspective on racing and confirmed to me that to be a Dakar champion is my dream.
Every day, I wake up and think about it! He has made a big step forward on his technical riding, so with the confidence from his world title behind him I think he can do really well at Dakar!
