Overview
- Ricky Brabec started the final day with a 3:20 lead after winning Stage 12, having set up the start order to let Benavides open and banking on roughly a minute-plus in opener bonuses.
- The decisive special measured about 105 km in Yanbu, where Benavides steadily cut time before Brabec’s late navigation error flipped the overall by the smallest margin in Dakar motos history.
- Edgar Canet won the final stage, Benavides finished second to seal the overall, and Tosha Schareina took third on the stage and in the general classification.
- The victory is Benavides’s first Dakar title in his ninth attempt and continues Argentina’s run in the event, following earlier wins by his brother Kevin.
- KTM recorded its 21st Dakar win in the motorcycles category, while Brabec missed a third crown despite opener bonuses that ultimately proved insufficient.