After over 44 hours of timed racing, it was an incredibly close finish in the 2023 Dakar Rally held in Saudi Arabia. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Kevin Benavides beat teammate Toby Price by just 43 seconds. That’s less than one second per hour—a gap of less than 0.027 percent. Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Skyler Howes rounded out the podium, finishing just over five minutes behind Benavides—a difference of less than 0.2 percent.
Going into the final day, Price led Benavides by 12 seconds. However, Price struggled to hit waypoints. It was the first time a rider lost the lead in the final stage. Howes, riding in his fifth Dakar Rally, led the event for six days.
The win is Benavides’ second Dakar Rally victory; he also won in 2021. Price already had two Dakar Rally wins—2016 and 2019. Last year’s Dakar Rally winner, Sam Sunderland, crashed out of the opening stage. Ricky Brabec, who won the Dakar in 2020 and the opening 2023 stage, had to withdraw with an injury in the third stage.
Photography by Cristiano Barni, Edoardo Bauer et al
2023 Dakar Rally Final Results
| Rider | Country | Team | Time | Gap | Penalty | ||
| 1. | Kevin Benavides | Argentina | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 44:27:20 | 3:00 | ||
| 2. | Toby Price | Australia | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 44:28:03 | Â 00:43 | 1:00 | |
| 3. | Skyler Howes | USA | Husqvarna Factory Racing | 44:32:24 | 05:04 | 1:00 | |
| 4. | Pablo Quintanilla | Chile | Monster Energy Honda Team | 44:46:22 | 19:02 | 2:00 | |
| 5. | Adrien Van Beveren | France | Monster Energy Honda Team | 44:47:50 | 20:30 | ||
| 6. | Luciano Benavides | Argentina | Husqvarna Factory Racing | 44:50:02 | 22:42 | 1:00 | |
| 7. | Daniel Sanders | Australia | Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing | 44:53:17 | 25:57 | 7:00 | |
| 8. | Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo | Chile | Monster Energy Honda Team | 45:18:41 | 51:21 | ||
| 9. | Lorenzo Santolino | Spain | Sherco Factory | 45:45:13 | 1:17:53 | 15:00 | |
| 10. | Franco Caimi | Argentina | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | 46:05:24 | 1:38:04 | 1:00 |
