‘Greetings to Lionel Messi: I was able to beat Saudi Arabia’, the message from the Argentine driver who won the Dakar Rally

Argentine Kevin Benavides (KTM) won the motorcycle Dakar Rally for the second time on Sunday, after fifteen days of tough competition in the sands of Saudi Arabia; while the Qatari Nasser al-Attiyah (Toyota) won for the fifth time in cars, with the Brazilian Lucas Moraes in third place.

Benavides, 34 years old and winner in the 2021 edition, finished the competition 43 seconds ahead of Australian Toby Price, leader of the general classification of the race at the start of the last stage this Sunday. The pilot, after his victory, took time to joke and send a message to his compatriot Lionel Messi, world champion with the Albiceleste.

Benavides turned around on two occasions “to catch the waypoint” that escaped him, and he had to keep pushing to recover the time lost in that action.

“Since yesterday (Saturday) I was thinking all the time about the possibilities (of winning the Dakar)”, and he went out to “drive, push and do the best possible”. The situation favored this, he debuted as the winner with KTM and sent a message to Messi after Argentina’s epic in the World Cup: “I want to send a greeting to Messi: I was able to beat Saudi Arabia.”

The Argentine joked and assured that his selection was an inspiration: “That victory had a lot to do with it. I was motivated and I always fight for my flag, to leave it at the top”. Something he has achieved with this Touareg.

More special than the first? “They were different,” says the Argentine, after his second Dakar with a different brand.

“The previous one was my first time, with Honda,” he said, and this has been his second, with KTM. After many years with the Japanese firm, the jump to the Austrian brand came to continue expanding horizons, winning with different brands and achieving a goal that has already been surpassed. The next one is already getting the third. (D)