Toby Price falls short in 2023 Dakar Rally thriller

In what is being hailed as the closest winning margin in the event’s history, Kevin Benavides claimed his second Dakar Rally victory in Saudi Arabia by just 43 seconds over his KTM teammate, Toby Price.

Only 12 seconds separated the pair heading into the final stage of the gruelling two-week race, with Australia’s Price holding a narrow advantage over his Argentine teammate and rival.

But it was Benavides who capitalised on a few mistakes from Price and added a second title to sit alongside his first in 2021. It was the first time that a rider had lost the Dakar Rally in the last special.

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“The first point is disappointment,” said Price following the final stage. “We’ve come so far, but look, Kevin’s done a great job. It’s hard to take at the moment, but at the end of the day, I’m going home in one piece and we got another Dakar trophy.”

Price, a two-time previous winner, also alluded to some rule changes that may have cost him valuable time. “I’m a little frustrated that, on the last day, they played with these 20-metre rules for the waypoints, and I had to turn back and get three of them,” said the Australian.

Benavides, racing in his second Dakar Rally for the KTM factory squad, was ecstatic with his second Dakar victory. “It’s incredible to pull off the win at the end of this completely crazy Dakar, and with such a small gap,” said the Argentine rider. “I’m also the first to win with two different motorbike brands, and that makes me very proud.”

Australia’s other great hope, Daniel Sanders (GasGas), had to settle for seventh overall, after a race plagued by illness and injury. The Victorian rider was an early favourite, winning a stage and leading the race, but bad luck saw him playing catch-up in the second half of the rally.

In the car category, Nasser Al Attiyah etched his place in history as a five-time winner of the desert classic, claiming his fourth win in combination with co-driver Mathieu Baumel, with the success once again coming aboard a Toyota HiLux

For the first time in his career, Al Attiyah successfully defended a Dakar title, and he did it with the broadest margin seen in the class for 20 years, with a 1hr 20min gap to nine-time world rally champion Sébastien Loeb.

Elsewhere, former Australian Rally Champion Molly Taylor had a strong run in her Modified Production SSV class Can-Am.

After finishing 14th on debut in 2022, this year with co-driver Andrew Short, the combination finished in 12th, despite a puncture on the last day of competition.