The years went by and everything remained the same… until Honda shook the hegemony that KTM he had built on the Dakar for 18 years. The Austrian brand won the race uninterruptedly in that period of time, establishing a domain that they begin to miss. They have been three years without savoring victory, despite the fact that victory returned to the group in the last edition but with the colors of GasGas, and now it is time for a reconquest that since Mattighofen has entrusted to three Touareg winners. Walkner, Price, and Kevin Benavides. they will try to restore glory to a structure where the mission is clear: they only need to win again.
three consecutive editions without seeing KTM linked to the winner in the mythical raid, are too many for a team where winning was almost routine. But despite the drought, that has not prevented the Austrian brand from renewing its hopes and confidence in the same trio as last year, after a season that has seen altered in terms of rescheduled events and injuries. But now, the moment of truth has arrived and from the official structure they are “100% ready to compete”, as he acknowledges Norbert Stadlbauer, KTM Rally Team Principal: “We have spent the year making lots of improvements on the KTM 450 Rally.”
That will be the fine-tuned machine with which they try to reconquer the desert. All its pilots arrive thirsty for victory and the structure “seems super strong for the Dakar 2023″. Therefore, the set is designed to be a hit after a last edition in which Walkner’s KTM, third, was the only frame of the Austrian brand that appeared in the top-8. The Austrian (winner of the race in 2018) saved the pride of the factory and despite the fact that “the Dakar always brings some surprises, I feel that I’m super prepared” for an edition where the organization claims that the road book do not decide the race.
It was precisely that detail that marked the test for a prices that continues to stretch the gum to delay the jump to all four wheels. The winner of the mythical raid in 2016 and 2019 is convinced that He has “the pace to win” and will look for his third Touareg in an edition that kevin benavides he starts as the most prudent within the ranks of KTM. He will have more stages and kilometers than ever, it will be an unknown race and despite the fact that the wait is already too long, “hopefully”, the Argentine believes that he will be able to “Secure another podium finish for myself and the team.” It will be his second visit to the desert with the Austrian brand after winning the 2021 Dakar with Honda and accepting Mattighofen’s offer. That headquarters, where they are already waiting so impatiently for the test, like the trophy.
