LUCIANO BENAVIDES PLACES FOURTH ON RALLYE DU MAROC STAGE TWO.
HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING RIDER LIES FIFTH OVERALL WITH THREE DAYS OF RACING TO GO.
Delivering another strong and consistent ride at the 2023 Rallye du Maroc, Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Luciano Benavides has safely completed stage two as the fourth fastest rider. In doing so the Argentinian maintains his fifth place ranking in the provisional overall standings.
Faced with a looped stage totalling 396 kilometres that started and finished in Zagora, Benavides continued with his plan of putting in solid yet safe rides, doing all he could to avoid any mistakes at this year’s event. Setting off fourth into the day’s timed special, Luciano maintained a top-five placing on the timesheets as he navigated accurately through the rocky tracks and open sandy areas of today’s route.
Following a steadier start, where he initially dropped to eighth in the rankings, Benavides was able to find a good rhythm over the mixed terrain of the special and immediately began to make up places. With a deficit of just over three and a half minutes to the eventual stage winner at the finish, Luciano placed fourth for the day and lies fifth in the overall standings, less than four minutes down on the early rally leader.
Luciano Benavides: “Another stage, another tough day in the office. It was a long stage, not too difficult in terms of navigation, but there were a lot of long notes and lots of different terrain – dunes, riverbeds, stones. It wasn’t easy to find a good flow through all of that, but in the end, I think I did a good job. Times are really tight in the overall classification, so I’ll give my best again tomorrow and let’s see how things go.”
2023 Rallye du Maroc – Stage 2 Provisional Classification
1. Tosha Schareina (Honda) 3:02:15
2. Toby Price (KTM) 3:03:15
3. Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) 3:04:36
4. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 3:05:49
5. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 3:07:11
6. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 3:07:13
2023 Rallye du Maroc – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 2]
1. Ross Branch (Hero) 7:18:15
2. Toby Price (KTM) 7:19:19
3. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 7:20:36
4. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 7:21:31
5. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 7:22:04
6. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) 7:27:39
Text/Bild: Husqvarna