Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders has completed the revised stage one of the 2024 Rallye du Maroc as runner-up. Making his competitive return to the team in Morocco, Sanders covered the 180 kilometers of timed special stage a mere 48 seconds behind the stage winner. Luciano Benavides, also making his return to Red Bull KTM, finished in a strong fourth place on the short but demanding stage.
With flooding affecting the area between Marrakech and Zagora following Sunday’s prologue, organizers of the 2024 Rallye du Maroc decided to bring Tuesday’s route forward to today, Monday, in order to ensure the safe passage of all competitors. As such, riders enjoyed a later start today, entering the 180-kilometer special at just after 10am to take on what still proved to be a significant test of navigation skill for all.
Sanders got his Rallye du Maroc off to a strong start, placing third-quickest on the event’s short qualifying prologue. Maintaining his momentum, he was fast straight out of the gate today on his KTM 450 RALLY, clocking in second at the first checkpoint of stage one at kilometer 42. The Australian then increased his pace to take the lead on time for the next 100 kilometers, navigating without error through the washed-out riverbeds and rocky tracks of the special.
As the terrain of the stage changed to dunes in the second half of the special, Sanders came into his own, making excellent time across the sand. A small error cost ‘Chucky’ dearly however, losing him close to two minutes to his rivals. Regrouping and pushing hard for the finish, Daniel was able to cross the line in second for the day.
Daniel Sanders: “Day one at Morocco is done! It was good to get the prologue out of the way yesterday – that helped us settle back in to racing and gave me a good start position for today. Stage one started with a load of riverbeds and stony terrain, so it was a really good test of the bike and the improvements we’ve made over the last few months. I made a couple of mistakes early on, but then quite a big one at around kilometer 140, which cost me a couple of minutes, unfortunately. It’s frustrating as it spoiled all the hard work I had put in leading up to that point, really. Other than that, I felt good, and the speed is definitely there – we’ll see how we get on tomorrow.”
Benavides was the seventh rider to enter today’s timed special, following his result from Sunday’s opening prologue. After taking time to settle into a good rhythm, it wasn’t long before the 29-year-old began to up his speed and push hard to make up ground on his rivals ahead. A small mistake in the first 40 kilometers cost the Argentine a little time, but the reigning World Rally-Raid Champion got his head down and soon began to eat into their advantage.
At the midway point of the special, Luciano placed fifth on the time sheets and, after navigating well through the dunes encountered in the latter half of the stage, was able to move up another place to ultimately claim fourth at the finish.
Luciano Benavides: “I’m super happy with how stage one has gone here in Morocco. Although it’s not the best result, it’s been a good stage in terms of finding my rhythm after coming back to racing after my injury. At the beginning of the stage, I didn’t feel too comfortable, especially in the super-tricky riverbeds – they were really stony, and I didn’t want to risk too much so early in the rally. I made a small navigation mistake there too, but after that, I was able to settle into a good pace and make up some good time. I felt really good in the dunes and was able to push more and more as the stage went on. I know it’s just the beginning, but so far, I feel really confident and I’m looking forward to the rest of the race.”
Tuesday’s stage two is set to challenge riders with a loop of 472 kilometers, starting and finishing in Zagora, 314 kilometers of which will be timed special stage.
Provisional Results – 2024 Rallye du Maroc, Stage 1
1. Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 2:16:57
2. Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 2:17:45 +0:48
3. Tosha Schareina (ESP), Honda, 2:18:45 +1:48
4. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 2:23:12 +6:15
5. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Honda, 2:24:15 +7:18
Provisional Standings – 2024 Rallye du Maroc (after 1 of 5 stages)
1. Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 2:34:09
2. Daniel Sanders (AUS), KTM, 2:34:57 +0:48
3. Tosha Schareina (ESP), Honda, 2:35:39 +1:30
4. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 2:40:54 +6:45
5. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Honda, 2:41:40 +7:31