ABU DHABI: The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge served up another dramatic episode on Monday as Argentinean rider Kevin Benavides built on his hope for a first bikes win and demonstrated a great deal of heroism, while Stephane Peterhansel held course for a record seventh cars victory.
The 318-kilometer ADNOC Distribution Special Stage 2 saw Nasser Al-Attiyah on four wheels and Ross Branch on two record the fastest times, 24 hours after both had crashed out of overall contention.
It was a day when Benavides showed a commendable selfless streak by stopping for more than 20 minutes to assist overnight bikes leader Michael Docherty after his heavy fall, before resuming to take the overall lead.
Credited at the end with the time he gave up to help Docherty, the KTM star now holds a 4 minutes 23 seconds advantage over American Ricky Brabec, with Chile’s Ignacio Cornejo another 41 seconds away in third place.
The top six was completed by previous champions Sam Sunderland on a GasGas and Honda’s Pablo Quintanilla, followed by the other Benavides brother, Luciano, on a Husqvarna.
Peterhansel, fourth quickest on the stage in an Audi RS Q e-tron, finished the leg with a reduced outright cars advantage of 7:49 from Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi in a Toyota Hilux.
Czech Martin Prokop was third, 15:50 off the lead in his Ford Raptor RS Cross Country.
Poland’s Jakub Przygonski in a Mini John Cooper Works Buggy and Mathieu Serradori in a Century CR6 completed the provisional top five.
Nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, whose victory ambitions on his Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge debut were buried by a series of first leg mechanical problems, recovered to set the second-fastest time on the day in his Prodrive Hunter.
Reachi
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