A very complicated Desafío Ruta 40 second stage turned out positively for the Monster Energy Honda Team. Kevin Benavides and Paulo Gonçalves finished in the top two positions both on the day and in the overall standings.

It was a gruelling, tough day between Villa Unión in La Rioja and Tinogasta in Catamarca. If the harshness of the track – with some very trial-like zones – was not bad enough, riders also had to deal with some extremely difficult navigation which required a very sharp eye to find some of the hidden waypoints along the route.

Kevin Benavides went off like a bat out of hell this morning and had soon caught up with team-mate Paulo Gonçalves. At kilometre 15 the pair had a tough job finding a waypoint but once back on course the two rode together for practically the rest of the stage. After opening the track for the greater part of the day, Kevin made a scorching finish with a 3’19” advantage over his Portuguese team-mate from the Monster Energy Honda Team. The two made it back with the Honda CRF450 RALLYs, problem-free, to the thermal complex in La Aguadita and are now ready to restart tomorrow, bound for Belén, in what looks to be another taxing stage with a lot of navigation in the dunes.

Ricky Brabec got another taste of just how tough the navigation can be in these stages. He made it back to the finish-line in eighth place. Michael Metge had an even more complicated day falling victim to a electrical issue which saw him delayed in his arrival back at Tinogasta.

Paulo Goncalves
STAGE: 2ND OVERALL: 2ND
It was a very difficult stage, with the most complicated navigation. We were riding around trying to find a waypoint on kilometre 15, when many other riders began to arrive. Kevin and I managed to find it before the others and opened up the track together until the end. It was very difficult all the way until the end, I think we did quite well and I am very happy to get here in a good position. The race was really hard and we have only had two days. I think this high pace will continue until the final day and you have to be very well-prepared to endure it without making mistakes. The dunes of Fiambalá, as expected, were a little soft, but it was not the most difficult area today, but we did 170 kilometres of off-piste with areas that were like a trial competition.

Kevin Benavides
STAGE: 1ST OVERALL: 1ST
The hand is a bit swollen, but it held up and it helped to accelerate in this difficult stage. At kilometre 15 we were all lost until we were able to find the waypoint. I continued with Paulo until the end, but also kilometres 25, 90, 280, 340 were all difficult to navigate and were very technical too. You had to be very focused because the roadbook was good, but was complicated. I am very happy because I didn’t make any mistakes and I kept a good pace. It went well while some riders had trouble with the roadbook. In Fiambalá you had to be very cautious not to fall over the front as the dunes were very soft.

Ricky Brabec
STAGE: 8TH OVERALL: 5TH
Today was a difficult start for almost everybody from what I could see. It was a difficult day with many sand-washes, riverbeds with many stones, like an Erzberg for rally bikes. So it was a tough morning. My team-mate had a breakdown, so the right thing to do was to ask him if he needed a tow. I asked him three times and he told me to keep going. He’s way behind now, but hopefully he will get back safe. The second special was all dunes, which for me – being a little bit bigger – was pretty tough, but we are here to fight another day and we will keep pushing for day three.

Michael Metge
STAGE: 16TH OVERALL: 10TH
It was a difficult enough stage by itself with a lot of navigation, complicated zones and hidden waypoints, but this morning I felt motivated. He had studied the roadbook well and there were areas that were hard to find. I was determined to really go for it, but I had a electrical problem and I had to sort it out somehow or another so I could continue. Somebody gave me some gas to finish it and I appreciate that. I lost a lot of time, but I was able to arrive. Tomorrow will be another day.

Provisional Results Stage Two – Desafio Ruta 40 2017

1. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 3:56:14
2. Paolo Goncalves (POR), Honda, 3:59:33 +3:19
3. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 4:05:13 +8:59
4. Jonathan Barragan (ESP), KTM, 4:21:38 +25:24
5. Franco Caimi (ARG), Yamaha, 4:22:20 +26:06

Provisional Standings – Desafio Ruta 40 after 2 of 5 stages

1. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 7:46:41
2. Paolo Goncalves (POR), Honda, 7:47:29 +48 seconds
3. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 8:06:48 +20:07
4. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 8:31:21 +44:40
5. Ricky Bravec (USA), Honda, 8:39:49 +53:08