Team HRC’s Kevin Benavides gave Honda another stage win during Stage 3 of the 2016 OiLibya Morocco Rally today, but America’s hopes for a Ricky Brabec victory went as dead as Brabec’s engine.
The second leg of the marathon stage appeared to be going well for overall leader Paulo Gonçalves and Brabec, who finished third after coming home second behind Gonçalves yesterday. Today was a different story. The engine on Brabec’s CRF450 Rally lost fire about 50 kilometers into the timed special. Brabec tried to solve the problem, but he lost so much time that finishing the stage became a virtual impossibility. The American desert ace eventually traced the problem to the bike’s electrical system and was able to get the bike to run again, but instead of rejoining the route he returned to the bivouac, conceding his chances for a Morocco Rally win. Gonçalves’ machine also went sour on him near Tafraoute Sidi Ali, ending his run at race kilometer 140 in the special stage.
That left Benavides as the lone Team HRC rider to carry the water for Team HRC, and the Argentinean rider didn’t disappoint. Benavides took the lead 200 kilometers into the stage and had a trouble-free run to the finish in Erfoud. Benavides posted a winning time of 3 hours, 15 minutes and 5 seconds, finishing 51 seconds ahead of Red Bull KTM’s Toby Price. The reigning Dakar Rally Champion moved back into the overall series lead ahead of teammate Sam Sunderland, who finished fourth today, behind another Red Bull KTM rider, reigning FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion Matthias Walkner.
Price is now 1 minute and 58 seconds ahead of Sunderland. Benavides has moved from fifth place to third place overall, 2 minutes and 29 seconds behind Price.
“Today I’m quite happy because I made a comeback and got a good result,” Benavides said. “Yesterday was a really tough stage for me. Today I felt very good right from the start and I started to really push, overtaking various riders. It was a bit complicated in the beginning with all the dust, but I felt some pretty good sensations with the bike as was able to ride at a fast pace. I had a slight navigational error but that didn’t matter so much. I’m happy to have won the stage but I felt bad when I found out that my teammates had had some problems and when I found out that they are out of the race. We are going to try and do all we can for Honda.”
Speaking of the failures experienced by Gonçalves and Brabec, Team HRC General Manager Martino Bianchi said, “Today has been a really tough day for us. The problems that both Brabec and Gonçalves suffered have been contrasted with those of a great win for Benavides – his first triumph in a Cross-Country Rallies World Championship stage. We are now looking into the mishaps that have occurred to the two top-placed riders from yesterday’s stage. It’s a pity because they had been having a superb race. We will try and get them back for the start tomorrow, in the rally’s penultimate special stage, to support Benavides who is in the fight for the victory.”
Tomorrow’s stage will feature 376-kilometer route, 319 kilometers of which will be timed.
2016 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship
OiLibya Morocco Rally
Morocco
Results: October 5, 2016 (Stage 3 of 5)
Stage 3
1. Kevin Benavides (ARG)-Hon/3 hours, 13 minutes and 5 seconds
2. Toby Price (AUS)-KTM/+00:00:51
3. Matthias Walkner (AUT)-KTM/+00:01:04
4. Sam Sunderland (GBR)-KTM/+00:01:28
5. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI)-Hus/+00:03:00
6. Xaver De Soultrait (FRA)-Yam/+00:06:32
7. Pela Renet (FRA)-Hus/+00:07:01
8. Helder Rodrigues (POR)-Yam/+00:08:09
9. Rodney Faggootter (AUS)-Yam/+00:08:29
10. Joan Pedrero (ESP)-She/+00:10:02
2016 OiLobya Morocco Rally Overall Standings (after Stage 3 of 5)
1. Toby Price (AUS)-KTM/6 hours, 55 minutes, 26 seconds
2. Sam Sunderland (GBR)-KTM/+00:01:58
3. Kevin Benavides (ARG)-Hon/+00:02:29
4. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI)-Hus/+00:11:16
5. Helder Rodrigues (POR)-Yam/+00:11:16
6. Xaver De Soultrait (FRA)-Yam/+00:17:28
7. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA)-Yam/+00:19:30
8. Joan Pedrero (ESP)-She/+00:21:54
9. Pela Renet (FRA)-Hus/+00:32:44
10. Matthias Walkner (AUT)-KTM/+00:33:34
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