Rest day and half way through the 47th Dakar Rally and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team is riding high in all classes but two-time winner, Kevin Benavides, has thrown in the towel after struggling in week one.

Daniel Sanders leading the overall standings by just over 15 minutes after winning three of the five stages plus the prologue. Dakar rookie Edgar Canet leading Rally 2 category and 10th overall. Luciano Benavides seventh overall and finding his mojo with runner-up on stage five.

Despite all the turmoil elsewhere in KTM world, the rally team is back battling for the Dakar trophies against the might of Honda, despite just three riders in the GP class this year.

Three became two today as two-time winner Kevin Benavides has taken the decision to retire from the race at the midway point. After a tough 2024 riddled with injuries, from which he hadn’t fully recovered before starting the Dakar a week ago, the Argentinian says it has been physically but also mentally tough to see his rivals running away from him, knowing he can ride like that but not having the physical condition to match them.  

“The first week was definitely tough with over 30 hours of racing. I’m not in my best physical condition so it has been a fight every day, but I’m really proud to have finished the first week of the toughest rally in the world. That alone is a great achievement!

“It’s been frustrating as my mind knows how to race fast and stay with the top guys – I’ve proved that in previous years – my body just isn’t capable of maintaining that sort of pace at the moment.

“It’s because of this feeling that I have made the decision to withdraw for the rally – the risk of further injury is too great. I want to thank the team and the fans for all the support they have given, and I hope to be back racing again soon.”

Sanders on song

Australian Daniel Sanders came into the 2025 Dakar fit and carrying form of victory at Morocco Rally last November.

The Australian won the prologue which set him in a great position to capitalize on start order to go on a win stages one and two, opening up an advantage which he hasn’t let go of  despite a list of issues he and many riders are facing this week with the new digital roadbooks.

Read more about that kerfuffle here: Dakar digital roadbooks: are they working?

Opening stages three and five showed he has the confidence in the bike and the navigation skills and the nub of it all is a 15-minute plus lead ahead of the second week.

“The first week has been really strong and consistent for me,” Says Chucky. “I’ve felt great on the bike and I’m happy with my riding and navigation. It’s definitely been really positive, and I have a healthy lead at the halfway point. Other than a few issues with my roadbook tablet, everything has gone really well and I’m having a lot of fun! I’m enjoying resting and recovering and looking forward to the second half of the race.”

Canet lad

At just 19 years old, Edgar Canet has taken to the Dakar better than most expected. Rising star? More like already a star.

The Spanish hotshot who jumped from a motocross career to rally thanks to the keen eyes of KTM rally team manager, Jordi Viladoms, Edgar has a 16-minute lead in the Rally 2 class.

“That’s the first week finished.” Says Edgar. “It has been really positive for me and I’m super happy to be leading Rally2 at this point. I have a great feeling with the team and the bike which has shown in my results. It has been tougher than I was expecting, especially the chrono and marathon stages where we spent over five hours on the bike. I’m really excited to see how the second week will go, and I will try to make it as good as this first one has been.”

Luciano Benavides will still have his older brother as camper van roomy for the second week, even if Kevin has withdrawn, and says his week one could have been better: “I think I could have used a better strategy this week as my gap to Daniel is bigger than I’d like, but it’s something I can learn from, and I am super happy for Daniel and the team. Next week will be tough, but I’m excited to get out there on Saturday after some rest today. Of course, I am still in the fight as I know I have the speed to be there, and a lot can change in a week so I’m going to keep pushing.”

Andreas Hölzl – Rally Team Manager: “We are super-happy about the situation at the moment with Chucky in the lead and doing an amazing job. He’s fit, confident, and the bike is working really well, so everything has come together perfectly, including the team behind him, who are working really hard, too.

“Luciano is in a good position going into the second week. He is feeling comfortable on the bike and we’ll certainly do our absolute best as a team to get him up into the podium positions.

“Edgar has been really impressive so far. In only his first Dakar he has shown he has what it takes to be competitive with the top guys. He’s obviously leading the Rally2 category but also just inside the top-10 overall. We’ll continue to work with him over the coming week to ensure a strong finish to the event.

“Unfortunately, of course, we have to say that Kevin will stop now after the first week. As we know, he had a tough year with injury but has done a great job over the first week here, and it’s a testament to his strength and experience that he made it to the rest day. Kevin will stay in Saudi and will be on hand to support his brother and the whole team, which is also a massive help. The second week here at Dakar is looking tough, but we’re well prepared and motivated to carry this momentum to the finish.” 

Standings after week 1 can be viewed in our stage 5 story: Dakar Rally 2025 Results: Speeding fines and roadbook woes affect stage 5

Photo Credit: Edo Bauer