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KEVIN BENAVIDES<br />
While he’s clearly very good at rally raids, Benavides started<br />
out as an enduro guy. Like a lot of successful racers in all<br />
motorcycle disciplines, he started quite young. Benavides<br />
says he was just three years old the first time he got on a<br />
motorcycle, and he hasn’t wanted to stop ever since. Sounds<br />
like every died-in-the wool bike guy?<br />
The 32-year old from Salta began his racing career in enduro,<br />
finishing fourth in the FIM Junior Enduro World Championship<br />
just under 10 years ago, followed by numerous national<br />
championship victories. Benavides switched his attention to<br />
rally in 2015 and has since won a number of prestigious rally<br />
events with Honda. Most notably he was runner-up in the<br />
FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship in 2017, and<br />
enjoyed a second-place finish at the Dakar in 2018 before<br />
claiming victory this year. With his 2021 win, Benavides made<br />
history to become the first South American rider to ever win<br />
the Dakar Rally in the bikes category.<br />
“My heart was always orange,” Benavides said in a<br />
statement.<br />
“I started with KTM Argentina in 2008 and always used KTM<br />
bikes until 2015. Back home in Salta [Argentina] I have a<br />
KTM dealership and now I’m a KTM Factory rider… it’s like<br />
everything has come together.”<br />
“I’ve always felt that I was born to do something important<br />
with my life,” Benavides continued. “I’ve always believed in<br />
myself, and I work hard every day to put my name in history.<br />
Winning the Dakar was the biggest achievement of my life<br />
so far. I made history as the first winner from Argentina and<br />
South America.”<br />
If you’ve paid any attention to Dakar in the past 20 or so<br />
years, you know that the Red Bull KTM Factory Team has<br />
won. A lot. 18 times between 2001 and 2019, to be exact.<br />
Just recently, Honda ruined the fun for them.<br />
In signing Benavides to a contract, it’s very clear that the<br />
team is not playing with its chances at regaining the top step<br />
of the podium in 2022.<br />
More KTM newsWith a bit of luck, our Bradley Cox will be<br />
lining up alongside this lot next year<br />
Let’s see how this move plays out…<br />
DIRT AND TRAIL MAGAZINE MAY 2021 65
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