Dakar Stage Three – Some stars bow out, speeding penalties change results

2024 Dakar Rally – Stage Three
Al Salamiya > Al-Hofuf

Stage three of the Dakar proved to be another huge test of skill and endurance for all competitors. that included a long timed special of 438 kilometres.

Leaving the bivouac at Al Duwadimi, riders covered a total distance of 733 kilometres to Al Salamiya. Marking the first half of the event’s opening marathon stage, just two hours of assistance were permitted before competitors left their teams and completed a final liaison to a separate bivouac to spend the night.

The configuration of this third stage made another cull of the competitors likely. It was as severe as had been announced for a number of leading riders who proved to be in too much of a hurry. In the order of disappearance from the rankings, Sam Sunderland went first, betrayed by his machine’s mechanical problems after 11 kilometres of the special, followed by Sebastian Bühler, who fell severely after 360 km.

Pablo Quintanilla and Nacho Cornejo, both team-mates with Monster Energy Honda, seemed set to make the day a Chilean festival.

However, the victory that seemed promised to Quintanilla slipped from his grasp following the race stewards’ announcement of a series of speeding penalties. Due to going much too fast through a zone restricted to 30 km/h, Pablo received a six-minute penalty which saw him slip down to sixth on the day’s rankings, and Hero Motorspots Ross Branch continue to hold the outright lead.

Argentine Kevin Benavides was the class act on two wheels as the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider finished one minute and 11 seconds ahead of American Honda rider Ricky Brabec.

Starting stage three from 19th, due to losing several minutes from a small mistake on the previous day’s special, Benavides knew he had to deliver his best over the course of day three to make up time on his rivals.

Using his experience and speed, the reigning Dakar Rally Champion put in a superb ride over the mixed terrain, immediately slotting into second on the timesheets at the first checkpoint, and carried that momentum to the finish. Securing his first stage win of the 2024 Dakar so far, Kevin’s result sees him climb above his Australian team-mate into sixth overall, a great result considering Benavides broke a bone in his leg training just one month ago.

Kevin Benavides

“A much better day for me today. It was a long, long stage, but after making a couple of mistakes yesterday, I set off with the plan to focus more on my navigation. It definitely paid off – there were already a lot of tracks on the ground ahead of me, but I concentrated on my roadbook and was able to find a good, solid rhythm over the different types of terrain. I’m happy with my pace today and the result. We have a couple of hours now to work on the bikes and then we head off to the bivouac. I feel good and the bike is in good shape – I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Ricky Brabec kept his third place in the overall standings and more importantly took time out of overall leader Ross Branch.

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“I recovered some time today and rode the best I could. It was a long day and I had a couple of hiccups early on but here we are at the end of day three so I’m happy to be able to start stage four. There’s a long way to go but we will keep fighting.”

Stage three proved to be an interesting one for Toby Price. Despite showing good speed over the special, Toby’s day was far from straightforward. Stopping to assist two different riders didn’t slow the Aussie’s pace however, and the two-time Dakar champion was able to make up ground on his rivals.

Initially completing the stage in 23rd, with the time lost reallocated to him, Price finished in a highly commendable ninth place and now lies seventh overall, just one position behind team-mate Kevin Benavides.

Toby Price

“Yeah, it was quite an eventful stage for me today. I made a small mistake early on, which cost me some time. Then I saw Sam (Sunderland) at the side of the track, I stopped to make sure he was ok, but it turned out to be a mechanical issue. After that, I got my head down and tried to make some good progress. I was stuck in the dust of another rider for a fair few kilometres but managed to get past him in the sand and was able to make some good time there. Unfortunately, towards the end of the stage, we came across another rider who had crashed, so we stopped to help him, call the helicopter, and make sure nobody else was in danger. So, it’s been a bit of an up and down day, but we’re here in the bivouac now, bike is good and getting serviced, and I’m ready for more of the same tomorrow.”

Stage three at the 2024 Dakar Rally was a bittersweet one for Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing. For Daniel Sanders, it was largely positive as he delivered a fault-free ride through the 438-kilometre special to secure the 13th fastest time.

Frustratingly for Sam Sunderland, the two-time winner of the Dakar was forced to withdraw from this year’s event after suffering from a technical issue just 11 kilometres into today’s special.

Maintaining a consistent start to what is only his fourth ever Dakar Rally, Daniel Sanders focused on completing the tough stage three special without issue – a task made even more challenging due to the low winter sun – and that’s exactly what he did! Placing 13th was the result of a smart and steady performance by the Australian who now lies eighth overall in the provisional standings.

After an encouraging start to this year’s Dakar, and with hopes of securing a third win at the prestigious event, Sam Sunderland’s race is sadly over. Shortly after entering the time special, Sam encountered a technical issue that he was unfortunately unable to resolve.

Daniel Sanders

“Yeah, I’m feeling good after getting through another tough stage. It was another long one under the sunshine, and it was pretty dry out there with a lot of dust. Navigation was tricky too, but we made the best of it. No crashes today so myself and the bike are in good shape, which is good as today was the first leg of a marathon stage. I’m looking forward to getting some decent sleep tonight and then I’ll be out to the attack tomorrow’s stage.”

Andreas Hölzl – GASGAS Rally Team Manager

“It’s a been a really disappointing day for Sam, as after just 11 kilometres into the special he had to stop with a technical issue. He tried to resolve the problem but unfortunately, he was unable to do so. Of course, we feel really sorry for Sam as he was really well prepared for this race and things were looking good after two stages.”

Tuesday’s Stage 4 sees the field tackle the remaining 299km special stage laid out between Al Salamiya and Al Hofuf before race vehicles can receive a proper service from their mechanic crews.

2024 Dakar Rally Stage Three Results

2024 Dakar Rally Standings after Stage Three

Dakar Rally 2024 Route Map

2024 Dakar Rally Schedule