Kevin Max Benavides (born 9 January 1989) is an Argentine rally raid motorcyclist who is best known for winning the Dakar Rally twice, in 2021 and 2023, as well as coming second place in 2018.[1] He is a former driver of the Monster Energy Honda Racing. In April 2021, he signed to race for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in both the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship and the Dakar Rally onboard the KTM 450 RALLY.
Kevin Benavides | |
|---|---|
_-_Dakar_2017_-_Kevin_Benav%C3%ADdes_(3).jpg) Kevin Benavides in 2017 | |
| Born | January 9, 1989 |
| Nationality |  Argentine |
| Height | 172 cm (5 ft 8 in) |
| Dakar Rally career | |
| Debut season | 2016 |
| Current team | KTM |
| Starts | 5 |
| Wins | 2 (8 stage wins) |
| Best finish | 1st in 2021, 2023 |
| FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2015 |
| Current team | Honda |
| Wins | 2 |
| Best finish | 2nd in 2017 |
Biography edit
He is the brother of Luciano, a rally raid biker too.[2]
Benavides won the 2021 Dakar Rally in the bike category.
He recently signed with the KTM Factory Red Bull team, starting on 7 April 2021.
Dakar Rally results edit
| Year | Class | Vehicle | Position | Stages won | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Motorbike |  Honda
|
4th | 1 | |
| 2017 | Did not enter | ||||
| 2018 | Motorbike | Honda
|
2nd | 1 | |
| 2019 | 5th | 0 | |||
| 2020 | 19th | 1 | |||
| 2021 | 1st | 2 | |||
| 2022 |  KTM
|
100th | 1 | ||
| 2023 | 1st | 2 | |||
| 2024 | 4th | 3 | |||
Other results edit
FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship results edit
| Year | Bike | Races | Wins | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Honda
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 18th |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 9th | |
| 2017 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 97 | 2nd | |
| 2018 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 56 | 6th | |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 3rd |
Rally raid best results (Motorbikes) edit
| Event | Wins | Podiums |
|---|---|---|
| Desafio Ruta 40
|
2 |  x2 (2016, 2017)
|
 Atacama Rally
|
1 | x1 (2018) x1 (2017) x1 (2016)
|
 Desafio Guarani
|
1 | x1 (2015)
|
 Andalucia Rally
|
1 | x1 (2020) x1 (2022)
|
 Rallye du Maroc
|
0 | x1 (2017)
|
 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
|
0 | x1 (2018)
|
References edit
- ^ "Dakar moto, trionfa Walkner. A Benavides l'ultima tappa" (in Italian). gazzetta.it. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ "Benavides brothers enjoy their rest in Dakar lead". motorcyclesports.net. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
External links edit
- Biker profile at Dakar.com