Dakar 2020
Stage Three

Ricky Brabec has won Stage 3 of the Dakar Rally, taking the lead over runner-up and team-mate Jose Florimo, while fellow Monster Energy Honda Team 2020 rider Kevin Benavides took out third for a Honda podium lock-out.

The 504-kilometre looped stage featured 427 kilometres of timed special that wound its way through the canyons and up into the mountains in the north of the country, however a GPS issue that affected all competitors resulted in many of the front runners being unable to find a waypoint.

As a result event organisers later amended the results from kilometre-389, rather than the final 427-kilometre mark as originally planned, which saw an reshuffle of the results and standings, while the spread of times across the top-10 was reduced from almost an hour down to just over 15-minutes.

Dakar Rally Ricky Brabec rallyzone — Ricky Brabec – Image by Rally Zone

The result catapults Brabec into the lead of the standings after Stage 3, marking the third rider to claim the lead and a stage win in as many stages, after Toby Price and Sam Sunderland took the lead in stages one and two respectively.

Riders once again received the ready-to-use roadbooks just minutes before the race-start, but this was no impediment to Ricky Brabec, as the Americanrider let rip, registering the best times at the various waypoints of the special before reaching the goal back in Neom. The Californian now leads in the general standings, and was the clear leader even before the shortened course was used to determine the results.

Ricky Brabec

“Today was actually really fun. The train was really epic. There were a lot of rocks, lots of stones, a lot of sand, and a lot of tricky navigation. It was really fast, which is what I really prefer. I had a good starting position today. I started a little bit back in twelfth position. I didn’t have too much dust. I past the first rider at kilometre 20. I knew today I could push. It was difficult. Every note that I thought was difficult I slowed down and took my time. I was pushing all day. We had three short specials. I was riding really well and I felt really good today. The roadbook is really good. The information here is really, really nice here. Tomorrow will be tricky. It’s always difficult opening because you have all the riders pushing behind you.”

José Ignacio Cornejo was also feeling at ease on this third stage of the rally in Saudi Arabia. Improving his skills as each day goes by, the Chilean made it home with the second best time of the day, less than six minutes behind Ricky Brabec.

José Ignacio Cornejo

“It went well today. It was a long stage, but an entertaining and complicated one. There were some very complicate areas for the navigation. It went well with a good pace, without making any mistakes but clocking up good partial times. In general, it was a very good day. I moved up a few positions in the overall standings. I felt really good and was comfortable with the bike. So I’m very pleased with the performance.”

Argentinean rider Kevin Benavides climbs positions on the 2020 Dakar overall leader board to second place, just 4’43 shy of his team-mate after a notable showing in the day’s tricky special where he took third place on the podium.

Kevin Benavides

“Today was a very nice stage, but a complicated one for the navigation. I started from fourth place. I caught up with the riders ahead and after I separated from the group and then I opened the way. I had a problem with one of the waypoints at kilometre 392. The roadbook was correct but the waypoint wasn’t there. I arrived there before all the other riders so I lost more time. After that the other riders arrived and we rode together in a group. Nevertheless, I’m very happy with the job done today. I felt very good on the bike. The navigation went really well. I will keep pushing ahead.”

The updated results now have Matthias Walkner fourth, ahead of defending champion Toby price, while Joan Barreda placed sixth ahead of Luciano Benavides.

Eighth to enter the day’s stage, Matthias Walkner completed the majority of the special without issue. The experienced Austrian racer chose to focus on his road book and navigation rather than push too hard on the technical terrain and risk mistakes. The decision paid off for the 2018 Dakar champion who ultimately posted the fourth-quickest time of the day to move up to third overall in the provisional standings.

Matthias Walkner

“I rode well today so I’m happy about that and the bike is performing really well too, which is great. Right from the start today, navigation was really tricky and you have to concentrate on the road book a lot. I came close to hitting some big rocks hidden in the sand today – it’s difficult to find the right balance between maintaining good speed and the navigation. The missing waypoint caught everyone out so that caused some issues toward the end of the stage. All-in-all I feel good and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Toby Price led the Australian contingent, also making the most of his experience when the going gets tough, and completed the shortened stage as fifth fastest, just seconds down on teammate Walkner. The stage one winner moves up to sixth in the general rankings and will enjoy a strong start position for Wednesday’s stage four.

Toby Price

“It’s been a tough day, but not too bad. Things were going well in the morning – a few mistakes here and there but nothing too bad. I just tried to stay on two wheels, ride safe and bring it home. Obviously the issue towards the end threw us all a bit, but it’s nice that the organisers acknowledged that quickly and rectified the results. The stage was really beautiful – lots of canyons and camels – I’m feeling good and keen to get going again tomorrow.”

Continuing to set a solid, consistent pace, Luciano Benavides put in an excellent rideto finish as seventh fastest. Despite a couple of navigational mistakes and an injury to his hand, the young Argentinian was just minutes behind teammates Walkner and Price. Luciano now sits seventh in the provisional overall standings.

Luciano Benavides

“It was a tricky day today, I felt good for the first half and only made one small mistake. The bike is feeling really good here in Saudi Arabia, we have it set up very well for the changes in terrain and that helps to give me a little more confidence. Unfortunately, when everyone got lost with the missing waypoint a stone flew up from another rider and hit my hand – I’m hoping it’s not too badly hurt and I’m ok for tomorrow.”

Opening the day’s special after overtaking the early leader proved a challenge for Stage 2 winner Sam Sunderland, who navigated well through the mixed terrain, enjoying a strong pace right until the neutralisation. A small mistake then cost the reigning FIM World Champion a number of minutes before then being the first to encounter the GPS issue later on. Despite his challenges, Sunderland posted the 14th fastest time and lies ninth in the provisional overall standings.

Sam Sunderland

“The stage didn’t start too well for me as I had a small issue with my GPS, but after that I was able to push on and made my way to the front. I think I did a good job of opening the stage and didn’t make too many mistakes. After the refuelling I was the first to come across the missing waypoint and struggled for a long time to work it out, the other riders caught me there and it was a bit chaotic until we worked it out. Thankfully, that has all been sorted now and I can concentrate on winning back some time tomorrow.”

Early results reported Rodney Faggotter completed the stage in 35th after the waypoint issue, leaving him ranked 21st overall, however updated results have him finishing 13th, and 15th overall in the standings. He also shed some light on the waypoint issue in a comment on social media.

Rodney Faggotter

“Possy 13th today! Had a good solid ride and feeling good. Bit of chaos late in the stage with a missing waypoint that wasn’t set up in the motos GPSs, but was in the Quads and cars. Fortunately common sense prevailed and they took the stage times up to that point. Was funny for a while and even had a chat and trail ride around in circles with my ol mate Toby Price. Was funny until we were still searching for that bastard waypoint 1/2 hour later. But all ended well.”

Adrien Van Beveren, who was running 14th after Stage 2, had to withdraw after an early crash during Stage 3, just 3km into the special, and was quickly attended to by the medical team. A further update stated he had broken his collarbone in three places, and is currently recovering, waiting to head back to France.

Provisional Stage 3 Results – Dakar Rally 2020

Stage 3

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time/Gap
1	Ricky Brabec	Monster Energy Honda Team 2020	03h 29′ 31”
2	Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo	Monster Energy Honda Team 2020	+ 00h 05′ 56”
3	Kevin Benavides	Monster Energy Honda Team 2020	+ 00h 07′ 22”
4	Matthias Walkner	Red Bull KTM Factory Team	+ 00h 08′ 13”
5	Toby Price	Red Bull KTM Factory Team	+ 00h 08′ 35”
6	Joan Barreda Bort	Monster Energy Honda Team 2020	+ 00h 09′ 04”
7	Luciano Benavides	Red Bull KTM Factory Team	+ 00h 12′ 30”
8	Xavier De Soultrait	Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team	+ 00h 13′ 55”
9	Pablo Quintanilla	Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing	+ 00h 15′ 30”
10	Skyler Howes	Klymciw Racing	+ 00h 15′ 43”
11	Adrien Metge	Sherco Tvs Rally Factory	+ 00h 18′ 00”
12	Stefan Svitko	Slovnaft Rally Team	+ 00h 18′ 46”
13	Lorenzo Santolino	Sherco Tvs Rally Factory	+ 00h 19′ 06”
14	Rodney Faggotter	Yamaha Motor Australia	+ 00h 19′ 51”
15	Sam Sunderland	Red Bull KTM Factory Team	+ 00h 21′ 21”
16	Adam Tomiczek	Orlen Team	+ 00h 25′ 52”
17	Maciej Giemza	Orlen Team	+ 00h 26′ 22”
18	Sebastien Lagut	Nomade Racing	+ 00h 26′ 48”
19	Milan Engel	Moto Racing Group (Mrg)	+ 00h 27′ 02”
20	Sebastian Bühler	Hero Motosports Team Rally	+ 00h 27′ 41”
21	Johnny Aubert	Sherco Tvs Rally Factory	+ 00h 27′ 58”
22	Martin Michek	Moto Racing Group (Mrg)	+ 00h 28′ 02”
23	Juan Pedrero Garcia	Ls2 Aventura Touareg	+ 00h 28′ 36”
24	Antonio Maio	Yamaha Fino Motor Racing	+ 00h 29′ 13”
25	Paul Spierings	Ht Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing	+ 00h 29′ 44”
26	Jaume Betriu	Fn Speed Team	+ 00h 30′ 23”
27	Ivan Jakes	Jakes Dakar Team	+ 00h 30′ 25”
28	Franco Caimi	Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team	+ 00h 30′ 47”
29	Patricio Cabrera	Kawasaki Chile Cidef	+ 00h 31′ 23”
30	Arunas Gelazninkas	Arunas Gelazninkas	+ 00h 33′ 26”
31	Jacopo Cerutti	Solarys Racing	+ 00h 33′ 31”
32	Laia Sanz	Gas Gas Factory Team	+ 00h 33′ 39”
33	Jamie Mccanney	Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team	+ 00h 35′ 02”
34	Garrett Poucher	Klymciw Racing	+ 00h 37′ 02”
35	Maurizio Gerini	Solarys Racing	+ 00h 38′ 11”
36	Fausto Mota	Xraids Team	+ 00h 47′ 27”
37	Andrew Short	Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing	+ 00h 51′ 46”
38	Jan Brabec	Big Shock Racing	+ 00h 51′ 55”
39	Loic Minaudier	Team All Tracks	+ 00h 53′ 59”
40	Florent Vayssade	Team Vayssade Florent	+ 01h 01′ 29”
41	Emanuel Gyenes	Autonet Motorcycle Team	+ 01h 01′ 50”
42	Olivier Pain	Team Jog – Nomade Racing	+ 01h 04′ 31”
43	Mohammed Balooshi	Duust Rally Team	+ 01h 05′ 26”
44	Anthony Boursaud	Antho Moto Sport – Drag’on Rally Team	+ 01h 05′ 28”
45	Ross Branch	Bas Dakar KTM Racing Team	+ 01h 07′ 33”
46	Romain Leloup	Team Repar’stores	+ 01h 09′ 18”
47	Benjamin Melot	Benjamin Melot	+ 01h 12′ 56”
48	Charlie Herbst	Nomade Racing	+ 01h 13′ 42”
49	Petr Vlcek	Petr Vlcek	+ 01h 16′ 45”
50	Santosh Shivashankar	Hero Motosports Team Rally	+ 01h 17′ 02”
51	Alessandro Barbero	Alessandro Barbero	+ 01h 18′ 33”
52	Nicolas Brabeck-Letmathe	Team Casteu	+ 01h 19′ 12”
53	Philippe Gendron	Nomade Racing	+ 01h 19′ 20”
54	Zaker Yakp	Wu Pu Da Hai Dao Dakar Rally Team	+ 01h 20′ 01”

Combined Standings

Pos	Rider	Time/Gap/Penalty
1	Ricky Brabec	10h 39′ 04”
2	Kevin Benavides	+ 00h 04′ 43”
3	Matthias Walkner	+ 00h 06′ 02”
4	Joan Barreda Bort	+ 00h 11′ 02”
5	Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo	+ 00h 11′ 19” 1m
6	Toby Price	+ 00h 11′ 58” 2m
7	Pablo Quintanilla	+ 00h 12′ 37”
8	Luciano Benavides	+ 00h 14′ 20”
9	Sam Sunderland	+ 00h 17′ 10”
10	Xavier De Soultrait	+ 00h 19′ 55”
11	Skyler Howes	+ 00h 32′ 24”
12	Adrien Metge	+ 00h 38′ 44”
13	Stefan Svitko	+ 00h 41′ 18”
14	Franco Caimi	+ 00h 45′ 50”
15	Rodney Faggotter	+ 00h 52′ 12” 5m
16	Lorenzo Santolino	+ 00h 56′ 33”
17	Andrew Short	+ 0h 56′ 59” 30m
18	Johnny Aubert	+ 01h 01′ 04”
19	Antonio Maio	+ 01h 02′ 41”
20	Juan Pedrero Garcia	+ 01h 03′ 17”
21	Ross Branch	+ 01h 07′ 41”
22	Milan Engel	+ 01h 10′ 35”
23	Sebastian Bühler	+ 01h 12′ 07”
24	Adam Tomiczek	+ 01h 18′ 57”
25	Maciej Giemza	+ 01h 20′ 10”
26	Martin Michek	+ 01h 29′ 59”
27	Laia Sanz	+ 01h 30′ 26”
28	Maurizio Gerini	+ 01h 30′ 35”
29	Sebastien Lagut	+ 01h 34′ 22” 4m
30	Jaume Betriu	+ 01h 39′ 56” 1m
31	Jamie Mccanney	+ 01h 42′ 29” 9m
32	Paul Spierings	+ 01h 51′ 59” 2m
33	Jan Brabec	+ 01h 56′ 45”
34	Jacopo Cerutti	+ 01h 57′ 02”
35	Arunas Gelazninkas	+ 01h 57′ 57”
36	Garrett Poucher	+2h 0′ 20” 2m30s
37	Patricio Cabrera	+ 2h 09′ 37” 11m
38	Loic Minaudier	+ 02h 18′ 53”
39	Ivan Jakes	+2h 24′ 57” 40m
40	Mohammed Balooshi	+ 02h 31′ 07”
41	Olivier Pain	+ 02h 35′ 51”
42	Fausto Mota	+ 02h 52′ 38” 5m
43	Emanuel Gyenes	+ 02h 56′ 18”
44	Santosh Chunchunguppe Shivashankar	+ 03h 10′ 43”
45	Mario Patrao	+ 03h 47′ 21”
46	Florent Vayssade	+ 03h 47′ 50”
47	Romain Leloup	+ 03h 53′ 23”
48	Arnold Brucy	+ 03h 57′ 39”
49	Petr Vlcek	+ 03h 59′ 10”
50	Roman Krejci	+4h 04′ 21” 10m
51	Abdullah Al Shatti	+ 04h 09′ 50”
52	Anthony Boursaud	+ 4h 10′ 12” 2m
53	Krzysztof Jarmuz	+ 04h 10′ 49”
54	Benjamin Melot	+ 04h 14′ 47”

Stage 2

Pos.	Rider	Team	Time/Gap
1	Ross Branch	Bas Dakar KTM Racing Team	03h 39′ 10
2	Sam Sunderland	Red Bull KTM Factory Team	+ 00h 01′ 24
3	Pablo Quintanilla	Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing	+ 00h 02′ 21
4	Kevin Benavides	Monster Energy Honda Team 2020	+ 00h 03′ 40
5	Luciano Benavides	Red Bull KTM Factory Team	+ 00h 03′ 44
6	Joan Barreda Bort	Monster Energy Honda Team 2020	+ 00h 04′ 57
7	Jose Ignacio Florimo	Monster Energy Honda Team 2020	+ 00h 05′ 58
8	Matthias Walkner	Red Bull KTM Factory Team	+ 00h 05′ 59
9	Xavier De Soultrait	Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team	+ 00h 06′ 08
10	Andrew Short	Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing	+ 00h 07′ 00
11	Skyler Howes	Klymciw Racing	+ 00h 07′ 42
12	Ricky Brabec	Monster Energy Honda Team 2020	+ 00h 08′ 45
13	Paulo Gonçalves	Hero Motosports Team Rally	+ 00h 09′ 32
14	Adrien Van Beveren	Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team	+ 00h 09′ 48
15	Franco Caimi	Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team	+ 00h 09′ 50
16	Stefan Svitko	Slovnaft Rally Team	+ 00h 11′ 15
17	Toby Price	Red Bull KTM Factory Team	+ 00h 12′ 13
18	Rodney Faggotter	Yamaha Motor Australia	+ 00h 17′ 17
19	Lorenzo Santolino	Sherco TVS Rally Factory	+ 00h 18′ 25
20	Adrien Metge	Sherco TVS Rally Factory	+ 00h 18′ 32
21	Antonio Maio	Yamaha Fino Motor Racing	+ 00h 19′ 30
22	Juan Pedrero Garcia	LS2 Aventura Touareg	+ 00h 19′ 49
23	Sebastian Bühler	Hero Motosports Team Rally	+ 00h 20′ 03
24	Johnny Aubert	Sherco TVS Rally Factory	+ 00h 20′ 04
25	Milan Engel	Moto Racing Group (MRG)	+ 00h 22′ 28
26	Adam Tomiczek	Orlen Team	+ 00h 27′ 21
27	Maurizio Gerini	Solarys Racing	+ 00h 29′ 33
28	Maciej Giemza	Orlen Team	+ 00h 31′ 12
29	Ivan Jakes	Jakes Dakar Team	+ 00h 32′ 18
30	Paul Spierings	HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing	+ 00h 34′ 21
31	Jaume Betriu	FN Speed Team	+ 00h 37′ 44
32	Jan Brabec	Big Shock Racing	+ 00h 38′ 18
33	Martin Michek	Moto Racing Group (MRG)	+ 00h 39′ 00
34	Jamie Mccanney	Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team	+ 00h 39′ 37
35	Sebastien Lagut	Nomade Racing	+ 00h 42′ 38
36	Garrett Poucher	Klymciw Racing	+ 00h 42′ 58
37	Laia Sanz	Gas Gas Factory Team	+ 00h 43′ 52
38	Loic Minaudier	Team All Tracks	+ 00h 46′ 02
39	Mohammed Balooshi	Duust Rally Team	+ 00h 47′ 45
40	Mario Patrao	Ktm Factory Team	+ 00h 47′ 52
41	Arunas Gelazninkas	Arunas Gelazninkas	+ 00h 48′ 35
42	Cesar Pardo	Ktm Peru Rally Team	+ 00h 48′ 53
43	Olivier Pain	Team Jog – Nomade Racing	+ 00h 49′ 17
44	Carl Johan Bjerkert	Ht Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing	+ 00h 49′ 36
45	Abdullah Al Shatti	Duust Rally Team	+ 00h 51′ 41
46	Patricio Cabrera	Kawasaki Chile Cidef	+ 00h 53′ 22
47	Fausto Mota	Xraids Team	+ 01h 07′ 33
48	Jacopo Cerutti	Solarys Racing	+ 01h 08′ 41
49	Emanuel Gyenes	Autonet Motorcycle Team	+ 01h 09′ 15
50	Myunggul Ryu	Klymciw Racing	+ 01h 14′ 41

Stage 1

Pos	Rider	Team	Time/Gap
1	Toby Price	RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM	03H 21′ 33
2	Ricky Brabec	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA	+ 00H 00′ 05
3	Matthias Walkner	RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM	+ 00H 00′ 40
4	Kevin Benavides	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA	+ 00H 02′ 31
5	Sam Sunderland	RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM	+ 00H 03′ 15
6	Pablo Quintanilla	ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA	+ 00H 03′ 36
7	Joan Barreda Bort	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA	+ 00H 05′ 51
8	Luciano Benavides	RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM	+ 00H 06′ 56
9	Andrew Short	ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA	+ 00H 07′ 03
10	Adrien Van Beveren	MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA	+ 00H 07′ 52
11	Jose Ignacio C F	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA	+ 00H 08′ 15
12	Paulo Gonçalves	HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY	+ 00H 08′ 17
13	Xavier De Soultrait	MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA	+ 00H 08′ 42
14	Ross Branch	BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM	+ 00H 08′ 58
15	Adrien Metge	SHERCO TVS RALLY FACTORY	+ 00H 11′ 02
16	Daniel Nosiglia Jager	TEAM HONDA NOSIGLIA	+ 00H 12′ 12
17	Franco Caimi	MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA	+ 00H 14′ 03
18	Skyler Howes	KLYMCIW RACING	+ 00H 17′ 49
19	Stefan Svitko	SLOVNAFT RALLY TEAM	+ 00H 20′ 07
20	Laia Sanz	GAS GAS FACTORY TEAM	+ 00H 21′ 45
21	Johnny Aubert	SHERCO TVS RALLY FACTORY	+ 00H 21′ 52
22	Antonio Maio	YAMAHA FINO MOTOR RACING	+ 00H 22′ 48
23	Jacopo Cerutti	SOLARYS RACING	+ 00H 23′ 40
24	Juan Pedrero Garcia	LS2 AVENTURA TOUAREG	+ 00H 23′ 42
25	Rodney Faggotter	YAMAHA MOTOR AUSTRALIA	+ 00H 23′ 54
26	Lorenzo Santolino	SHERCO TVS RALLY FACTORY	+ 00H 27′ 52
27	Milan Engel	MOTO RACING GROUP (MRG)	+ 00H 29′ 55
28	Maciej Giemza	ORLEN TEAM	+ 00H 31′ 26
29	Maurizio Gerini	SOLARYS RACING	+ 00H 31′ 41
30	Martin Michek	MOTO RACING GROUP (MRG)	+ 00H 31′ 47
31	Sebastian Bühler	HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY	+ 00H 33′ 13
32	Sebastien Lagut	NOMADE RACING	+ 00H 33′ 46
33	Adam Tomiczek	ORLEN TEAM	+ 00H 34′ 34
34	Jan Brabec	BIG SHOCK RACING	+ 00H 35′ 22
35	Jamie Mccanney	MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA	+ 00H 36′ 40
36	Carl Johan Bjerkert	HT RALLY RAID HUSQVARNA	+ 00H 38′ 45
37	Aaron Mare	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA	+ 00H 39′ 45
38	Jaume Betriu	FN SPEED TEAM	+ 00H 40′ 39
39	Santosh Chunchunguppe S	HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY	+ 00H 41′ 57
40	Arunas Gelazninkas	ARUNAS GELAZNINKAS	+ 00H 44′ 46
41	Mario Patrao	KTM FACTORY TEAM	+ 00H 45′ 47
42	Mohammed Balooshi	DUUST RALLY TEAM	+ 00H 46′ 46
43	Loic Minaudier	TEAM ALL TRACKS	+ 00H 47′ 42
44	Garrett Poucher	KLYMCIW RACING	+ 00H 49′ 10
45	Olivier Pain	TEAM JOG – NOMADE RACING	+ 00H 50′ 53
46	Patricio Cabrera	KAWASAKI CHILE CIDEF	+ 00H 53′ 42
47	Cesar Pardo	KTM PERU RALLY TEAM	+ 00H 53′ 47
48	Emanuel Gyenes	AUTONET MOTORCYCLE TEAM	+ 00H 55′ 09
49	Abdullah Al Shatti	DUUST RALLY TEAM	+ 00H 55′ 54
50	Paul Spierings	HT RALLY RAID HUSQVARNA	+ 00H 56′ 44