Motorsports
Luciano Benavidez wins by the narrowest margin in Dakar history: just 2 seconds! Contrary to all expectations, in the madness of the final stage
When the Argentines arrived, everyone was surprised at the camp in Yanbu Luciano Benavidez on the final stage of the Dakar Rally. No one believed what had happened. The Argentine started the final stage with a 3-minute, 20-second disadvantage over Ricky Brabec, with 105 kilometers to go from winning Tuareg’s third bronze medal. Everyone thought Honda was the winner. There was no way he would lose in the Dakar. But it happened. While the American opened the course, Benavidez was setting the fastest time behind him, but was unable to surpass him in the overall standings. Until the end of the special, the American’s mistakes caused the Dakar to drop in the standings. Great plate for him.
30-year-old Luciano Benavidez won the closest Dakar in history by just two inches. The youngest Benavidez will head to Salta in a bronze Touareg to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Kevin, who won the Dakar on two wheels in 2021 and 2023 by the shortest margin in history.
And to complete this epic, he completed two months of grueling rehabilitation after a crash at the Morocco Rally that broke his shoulder and knee, to avoid surgery before the big event.
A heartbreaking ending and a Dakar-worthy mistake
After just 19 kilometers, Brabec lost the Dakar Rally and its comfortable cushion. He clocked in at three minutes and left the bivouac in shock. It happened 4km from the finish line. Taking his third Dakar, the American took a wrong turn and gave up all his advantage. We should have had a comfortable shot at winning, but it just wasn’t worth it.
Luciano continued to believe. He said the day before that he was up for the challenge and still had a chance of winning the Dakar. The race wasn’t over until the last meter. That sounded trite. But it was true.
Even the 1 minute 22 second bonus accumulated to start the course in this final special did not allow Brabec to maintain his overall lead.
The drama happened in the last 4km. As Benavidez made his way to the finish line, the two-time Dakar champion got lost and was unable to find the final WP. And when it arrives, madness ensues. It was a cinematic moment. Luciano even finds himself confronting Brabec, who is on the wrong path.
The Americans were unable to pursue him because Luciano had to completely change direction to get back on the right track he was running on. The Argentine admitted that he had intended to relax with 3km to go, which was his plan when he realized he wouldn’t make it and his rival would receive all the track-opening bonuses. But when he spotted Brabec, his heart skipped a beat. That was a sign that he had to give his all, like never before, to win. And he did it.
MD met Edgar Canet’s father, Luciano’s fellow caravaner and great Argentine friend. “Luciano won the Dakar”said Albert to this newspaper. “Why? It can’t be like that.”I said with a surprised look on my face, wondering if this information was wrong. He looked at his phone, gave the KTM team the same look of disbelief, and left. It was true.
Luciano knelt behind the goal and put his hands on his face. I cried with joy. he couldn’t believe it. And Brabec accepted the blow with a distraught look on his face, assuming a very costly mistake with an outcome far too cruel for a driver like him.
But this Saturday, the dream of never giving up, showing that nothing is impossible, and fighting in front of and against everything for what you want won out. Winner Luciano Benavidez took a hard fall at the Morocco Rally last October, fracturing his knee, ligaments and meniscus. He also injured his shoulder. If he undergoes surgery, he will not be able to participate in the Dakar. Even if he didn’t, there was no guarantee that he would arrive. It didn’t just arrive. Through much pain and fighting back like a lion, Luciano Benavidez led the race and dreamed big. But Brabec’s final strategy seemed to prevent the film from finishing Luciano’s story of overcoming, as he intentionally stopped on stage 11 to attack on stage 12, taking the lead from the Argentine by 3 minutes 20 seconds with one stage remaining. But at last, the result was worthy of Hollywood’s greatest director. This became a reality in Yanbu. No one could believe it. The KTM team hugged each other. Luciano pumped gas into his motorcycle without stopping. KTM director Jordi Villadomus was surprised. They all did it. Luciano became the new Dakar champion. Contrary to all expectations, this was the tightest Dakar in history.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
Motorsports
Toni Bowe scores his fifth win in Leeds after a tough one-on-one with an unexpected local hero.
In 2026, the X-Trial World Championship returns, returning to British territory 10 years later with an event in Leeds. toni bow He added his fifth of six wins at the Indoor World Cup, 25-26, and is on track for his 20th straight victory and 39th all-time victory. 80 points will be distributed over the remaining four tournaments until the end of the campaign.
When he arrived at Leeds, he had a 23 point advantage over his teammates Marcelli and 33 points over Busto, but by his next appointment he had a 34 point advantage over Marcelli and 41 points over Busto. Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, February 8th. This season, only Jaime Busto was able to debunk the Bow myth at the third event in Saint-Denis on Réunion Island on November 8th, and in Leeds’ afternoon-to-evening match at the First Direct Bank Arena, Harry Hemingway and his Beta responsive figures emerged to the detriment of their usual rivals.
Busto surprises Bow in Q1
In Q1, Busto and Marcelli started in that order, with Bow finishing the race. Busto added 8 points for his failure in S3 and passed S2, S4 and S6 cleanly. Marcelli did not perform very well in this first contact, adding 17 points due to failures in S3 and S6 and not being able to clear the area, but it was enough to secure third place against Harry Hemingway (19 points). Bowe finished the round with 12 points, but failed in S4 and, like his teammates, was unable to clear any of the six zones.
However, three of the favorites have advanced to the finals and are vying for a starting spot in the Super Pole. harry hemingway They passed Q2 and advanced to the Final 4. Busto once again looked perfect, gaining the advantage of shutting out the opening stages of the final.
toni bow He started pressuring Jaime Busto from the first zone and was forced to blunder after starting Pieras with just one leg (1 point) penalty. But in the second zone, a surprise happened to Beta drivers. harry hemingway Born in Leeds 20 years ago and finishing fourth at the 2026 World Cup, they successfully overcame the hurdles as the three Spaniards made their own huge flops.
Arriving at the halfway point after passing through the third zone, which Bust, Bouw and Hemingway had passed cleanly in that order, the team from Leeds were in the lead with five points, one less than Bouw, five fewer than Bust, and seven fewer than Marcelli, placing them second in the World Cup.
In the fourth zone, Bowe regained the lead with a four-point lead over Beta’s British rider after Busto and Hemingway made a series of misses and the Repsol Honda rider outran him cleanly. Marcelli reacted timidly and misplaced himself (2 points), allowing him to leave the bottom of the table with a one point difference over Busto, clearly going from top to bottom in Leeds.
Hemingway squeezes his bow
In the fifth zone, again, hemingwayThe team carried the players cleanly over the obstacles, during which Bowe accumulated two points and was now the only candidate for victory – Bowe with a two-point lead over Hemingway – heading into the final six area where the man from Piera had the advantage to close out the final.
In the 6th zone, hemingway He added one foot (one point) to Marcelli and Busto in the final for fourth and third place, leaving all the pressure on Bowe, whose victory should have been blamed for the fiasco. Despite having a margin of error of up to three points, in the end they took two penalties and won by one point over Hemingway at Leeds.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
Motorsports
Solberg close to Monte Carlo Rally victory
he Oliver Solberg of Sweden (Toyota) He will arrive as a leader on the day of the decisive battle. monte carlo rally59 seconds advantage over Great Britain Elfyn Evans 1 and a half minutes compared to the French Sebastian Ogierafter the penultimate stage conditioned by snow and studded tire selection.
Son of Scandinavian driver and 2003 world champion peter solbergmaintained control of the race throughout Saturday’s session after his two main pursuers, teammates, were unable to significantly close the gap.
Weather conditions once again highlighted the development of the rally, with some sections covered in snow and requiring teams to exercise extreme caution. Solberg lost a few seconds on the first stage of the day, but recovered in the following stages and was once again among the fastest.
The highlight of the day was the longest section of the route, which was raced on very poor track conditions with a mixture of mud and snow. Despite leaving the course without incident, the Swede completed the course and set the best time.
The stage ended with a 2.6km super special around the port of Monaco. About the urban layout of F1 circuits. In complicated conditions characterized by heavy rain soaking the asphalt, the French athlete Adrian Formeau This was the fastest result and allowed Hyundai to end the day with joy.
The Monte Carlo Rally is set for this Sunday and will take place over four stages and a measured distance of 71 kilometers, and Solberg will try to manage his advantage to achieve his second absolute victory in the Monte Carlo Rally. world championship After achieving it in Estonia in 2025.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
Motorsports
HAMILTON: ‘It’s something I’ll never get used to and I’ll never forget’
Lewis Hamilton was shocked after the first laps in Ferrari’s new car SF-26 with 2026 regulations. The seven-time British champion was particularly impressed by the support from tifosi, which he described as “unforgettable”.
On Friday morning, Ferrari introduced its first car under the new power unit rules at the Fiorano test track, and then the first race took place. As usual, Tifosi appeared on the track a few hours before the start, creating a unique atmosphere for the team and drivers.
Hamilton was the first to take to the track with the new car, and then Charles Leclerc took over the leadership. Both drivers waved to the fans during the race, and Fiorano’s configuration allowed them to feel the atmosphere of support especially closely.
“Last year I drove a red car for the first time and it was incredibly unique, it was like a first experience and it will always be a first.
However, in this car, it is obvious that the cockpit is quite bright due to the external appearance, and this is great. The good thing is, you always hope you’ll fit in when you come back. Luckily I adapted completely.
I don’t know, it’s so exciting to start the car and feel the new vibrations of the car throughout your body. Then the doors open and you go to the first corner where you can literally see Tifosi.
“This is something I will never get used to and something I will never forget.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
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