They sang Happy Birthday to him and while he was celebrating his 34th birthday Kevin Benavides also received some good news, as the leader of the overall motorcycle classification, the North American Skyler Howes (Husqvarna), was penalized by a minute, so now the man from Skip is 13 seconds from the pointer.
There is a curiosity. After more than 4,000 kilometers of travel, Benavides equals the position in time and also in seconds with Mason Klein, the young KTM rider who surprises with his pace, even if he accumulates penalties.
There was also Luciano, Kevin’s younger brother, who has just won a stage in this Dakar and occupies 11th place overall.
The second half of Dakar 2023 will get underway on Tuesday morning, after the rest day. Serpa on a route of 710 kilometers (432 special) towards Haradh, east of the capital.
In the quads, the pace of the Frenchman Alexander Giroud is devastating, which is why he is ahead in the general classification with a lead of 1h41m over Manu Andujar, from Buenos Aires, who conquered the 8th stage after tipping over: “I got distracted for a second and I’m upside down. Luckily I was able to move the quad, which weighs about 300 kilos, with a full tank, I fixed it, I continued and I won,” explained Lobos’ one.
There is the Argentine army, with Pablo Copetti, third, and Francisco Moreno de Mendoza, fourth.
In the car category, Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, with a Toyota Hilux, maintains a significant lead (1h3m) in the vanguard. There, in the privileged lot of the Top Ten, Juan Cruz Yacopini from Mendoza appears, with a Toyota Hilux, while his co-province, Sebastián Halpern, is 14th.
Benavides’ birthday message
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.