“I ride and train for glory”
Crew facts
- Argentina's Luciano Benavides (30) had an emotional 2025 Dakar Rally. In addition to finishing fourth aboard his factory KTM, in the first week, he was affected by the circumstances surrounding his brother Kevin's race, who arrived at the Dakar physically impaired by severe injuries.
- In a season that went ‘from bad to worse,’ Luciano was unable to fight for the Rally GP runner-up place after falling in stage 1 in Morocco, finishing P4 in the category.
- Looking back on his successful racing career, Luciano first encountered the Dakar Rally at the age of 13 when he went to see the convoy pass through Fiambalá, in northern Argentina, without imagining that a decade later he would be on the starting line. His debut in the 2018 Dakar Rally ended in retirement after a heavy fall on the Salta-Belén stage. In the 2019 Dakar Rally in Peru, he finished 9th, and in 2020 in Saudi Arabia, he finished an outstanding 6th place, and was the top Argentine in the rally. In 2021, a crash on stage 9 resulted in a severe shoulder injury, and he subsequently dropped out of the race. His brother Kevin's victory turned that disappointment into an enormous family joy.
- 2023 was his best year on a bike, with three stage wins and sixth place on the Dakar, and second place in Morocco to edge Toby Price for the World Championship by four points.
- Luciano started the 2024 season with seventh place on the Dakar, complicated by an engine failure in the sixth stage. Furthermore, he couldn't defend his title because Husqvarna chose not to compete in W2RC. Months later, in June, he rode in the Desafío Ruta 40, days after his brother Kevin's serious accident. Distracted by this, he crashed in a high-speed section and broke his hip. He returned to competition after his injury at the Morocco Rally in his debut with KTM.
- Fully recovered from his knee and shoulder injuries, Luciano will be Argentina's leader among the elite in the bike category.
Ambition
L.B.: "Last year's Dakar was complicated for me to stay focused during the first week because I knew the conditions my brother Kevin had arrived in, and I was afraid something would happen to him. Perhaps I didn't put all my energy into myself, and that slowed me down. After Kevin withdrew, I had an excellent second week. I was at my best and was the fastest in the second half of the rally. I finished fourth overall—just off the podium—which is my best result, but honestly, I wasn't satisfied.
The rest of the season was a mix of fortunes. In Abu Dhabi – although it's a rally I really like – I didn't feel comfortable on the bike, and finished fourth again. South Africa was much better. I finished second with a pace very similar to Daniel (Sanders). We had a great race in Portugal, although as a team I think we made a mistake in our tyre choice. They wore out a lot, and we had to be careful, especially late in the stages. Then we got to Morocco, which is the round that defines where you stand for the Dakar. I crashed there on the opening day. I tore ligaments in my knee, slightly injured my shoulder, and hurt my back. But if there's one thing, we Benavídes excel at, it's recovery, and I'm confident that I'll be physically up to the task in the Dakar. I think the Dakar will be incredibly tough, but that's racing. We're not racing in the Empty Quarter, so I think it's going to be a wide-open battle until the very end. I want to do my best every day. If I do that, a fantastic result could be possible. You constantly dream of glory; that's why I train and race."
