Dakar Stage 11 (Thursday) overview, results and another new race leader

Dakar Race 2023 – Stage 11
Shaybah – Empty Neighborhood Marathon

Pictures of Rally Zone

Stage 11 of the 2023 Dakar Race on Thursday saw Luciano Benavides take a one-day win over Australian Daniel Sanders and Toby Price.

The riders competed in the first of two marathons on Thursday, which included a 273-kilometer selection run with 151 kilometers of contact, mostly across sand dunes.

Competitors will have no external mechanical support tonight ahead of Friday’s Leg 12, which sees another 185km dune battle heading for the bivouac in Shaybah.

As the 12th driver to enter the 274km special, Sanders has benefited from trailing the leading drivers, moving up to seventh in the provisional standings after becoming second fastest person on Thursday.

Daniel Sanders – P2

“Today wasn’t so bad. It took me a while to accelerate and then at about kilometer 40 there was a hard note in the route book. I slowed down a bit to make sure I was on the right track, then continued to refuel. Then I rode with Luciano Benavides for the rest of the leg, which was good and it’s a good gauge to know the speed ahead. Monday is good enough before tomorrow’s shorter period. I just checked the bike, all the fluids and everything, and it’s in great condition so I’m looking forward to getting back there tomorrow.”

Toby Price was the 19th rider to enter today’s jackpot, making steady progress, eventually reaching the third fastest time for the race, less than two minutes behind the leader, putting Price back in place. second overall in the provisional standings.

Price Toby – P3

“I think the stage went well for me today, I was able to step back a little bit and that gives me a good competitive edge for podium spots. I’m feeling healthy and the bike is perfect, so no problem there. Starting back a bit definitely helped today. I made a small mistake at the beginning, I think like some people up front, but I was able to fix it pretty quickly and move on. I made it pretty steady today – pushing to a safe place to do so and then loosening it up a bit to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes. I’m going Tuesday tomorrow, it’s not so bad, so I’ll keep fighting and see where we go.”

On the hugely successful Day 11 in the desert of Saudi Arabia for the Husqvarna Factory Grand Prix, Luciano Benavides won his third leg of the event. Teammate Skyler Howes finished in an impressive fourth place, helping two Husqvarna Factory Racing drivers into the top four.

Luciano Benavides – P1

“It was a really, really great stage. I enjoyed racing through the dunes and also having a good time. There’s a lot of variety today, some really large and mid-ground dunes are also difficult to judge, with more soft areas that can leave you exposed. Today’s navigation is not too difficult, the challenge comes from trying to find the fastest way through the dunes. I did a great job and was able to make up the extra time, which was great. I will lead again tomorrow and I am really looking forward to this challenge.”

Skyler Howes – P4

“It was a really fast phase today with lots of dunes – lots of big dunes! I have found a good rhythm there and am progressing well. I got stuck in soft sand on a few dunes and had to go back to attack those dunes again. There’s a waypoint that I also have to go around to get in the right direction. The bike is in good condition, perfect for the marathon, I just need to focus because the time on the leaderboard is very close. I think it’s going to go like this until the end, which makes it pretty interesting.”

Monster Energy Honda Team’s best driver is Pablo Quintanilla, fifth, 2 minutes 54 seconds behind.

Pablo Quintanilla – P5

“It was not an easy day, the sand was too soft and sometimes it was difficult to climb the dunes. Anyway I’m at a good pace and I think I did a good one. The first part of the marathon is done and my Honda CRF 450 Rally is free of any damage, so I’m ready to continue tomorrow.”

Sebastian Buhler was sixth for the day, just over five minutes behind the leader, followed by Romain Dumontier, Lorenzo Santolino and Franco Caimi.

In contrast to teammate Toby Price, Kevin Benavides departed near the front of the stage today, and with very little trail ahead, the Argentinian had to carefully navigate through the sands of the grand prix but still managed to finish tenth on the fifth leg.

Kevin Benavides – P10

“Another tough day and the first part of today’s marathon. I started in fourth and tried to push right away. I did well, I caught sight of the people ahead after refueling, and from there we cycled together for the last 80 kilometers. The bike is ready at parc fermé and I have a good starting position for tomorrow, so it’s just a matter of trying to make up and keep fighting.

Daniel Jager was 11th, Tosha Schareina was 12th and Matthias Walkner was 13th on stage.

Matthias Walkner – P13

“I had a good stage today. It was fun riding in the Empty Quarter for a second day and it certainly lived up to its name as there was nothing to see for miles around. I made a little mistake at the beginning that took me a few minutes, but then I managed to get stuck in a bag of soft sand and took a while to get out. There is no contrast in the desert and you never know when something like this will happen. I did my best after refueling to make up, and it was great fun jumping off the dunes. It was a really beautiful stage. I have a good starting position for tomorrow, so I will aim to be in the top three.”

José Ignacio Cornejo finished the day in 14th place, with teammate Adrien Van Beveren 17th, +8m36s and +9m10s ahead of the stage lead.

José Ignacio Cornejo – P14

“I made some navigational errors and it took me about eight minutes. I’m not happy about that, but that’s what it is. I will focus on climbing the overall rankings and keep fighting until the end. This is Dakar and I have to maintain my aim.”

Adrien Van Beveren – P17

“It was a beautiful day, I caught Ross at kilometer 40 then I opened most of the way. I feel good and I feel fast on this terrain but when you open you always lose time. I’m definitely trying my best every day, every minute and we’ll see how it goes.”

Standings after Dakar Stage 11

Skyler Howes took the lead overall after the interim results of Stage 11, with Toby Price moving straight up to second and just 28 seconds away from the lead. Wednesday’s lead Kevin Benavides dropped to third, 2m44 seconds behind.

Pablo Quintanilla is now further fourth (+14m14s), Adrien Van Beveren fifth (15m24s), Luciano Benavides sixth (18m06s) and Daniel Sanders rose to seventh from ninth (+21m04s).

Jose Cornejo, Mason Klein and Matthias Walker rounded out the top 10, with the 44m45 Walkner leading the way.

Stage 12 Route

The second part of the marathon will take place on Friday with a return to Shaybah in stage 12. Along the 185 km of this select section (added by a 188 km liaison), there will be a focus on acumen. in the tactics of the racers. With just three days to go until this 2023 Dakar Rally, it’s definitely time to hit all the dunes!

Highlight video of stage 11

Dakar Rally 2023 results (Provisional)

Overall Dakar 2023 race after stage 11 (temporary)

Dakar race schedule 2023