2024 Dakar Rally: KTM win stage 3, Hero still on top

The third stage of the Dakar Rally saw the leaderboard change yet again, with KTM taking its first stage win. Factory rider and defending champion Kevin Benavides won the stage in the motorcycle class while Lucas Moraes takes his first stage win for Toyota.

The 733-kilometre-long stage 3 became the toughest day yet in the 2024 Dakar Rally, which consisted of dunes and fast tracks. The stage even saw Pablo Quintanilla and Joan Barreda being penalised for speeding — welcome to the Dakar Rally.

In the motorcycle category, Honda rider Ricky Brabec finished second, followed by teammate, Adrien Van Beveren in third, his best result yet this Dakar. In the overall standings, Ross Branch still leads the Dakar Rally with a little over 3 minutes lead from four Honda riders on his tail — Jose Cornejo, Brabec, Quintanilla, and Van Beveren.

In the cars category, the battle was intense between defending champion Nasser Al-Atiyah, Moraes, Mattias Ekstrom, and Al-Rajhi, with the Qatari taking a 22-second lead at the penultimate reference point. However, it was Toyota’s Moraes who took the win, followed by Audi’s Ekstrom in second and Al-Rajhi in third. Al-Attiyah settled for a fourth place in stage 3.

In the overall leaderboard, Al-Rajhi leads, followed by Team Audi drivers Sainz Sr and Ekstrom. Moraes stands fourth while the defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah is in fifth. The following days are set to be more interesting with the top contenders set to change the standing again, as 29 seconds is the time difference between the leader and the runner-up.

It was not all good news for GasGas rider Sam Sunderland, as mechanical issues have forced him to retire from the rally already, while for Hero MotoSports, Sebastien Buhler had to be airlifted to the hospital. Toby Price and Skyler Howes were the first riders on the scene to help Buhler and the lost time was awarded to them.

2024 Dakar Rally Stage 3 results