Though the World Rally-Raid Championship is ready for its second spherical of 2024 with the Abu Dhabi Desert Problem starting Sunday, some regulars will probably be in Argentina as an alternative. Defending champion Luciano Benavides and Adrien Van Beveren plan to race this weekend’s Enduro del Verano, whereas Kevin Benavides will even be current for an exhibition alongside his youthful brother.
Though Luciano received the W2RC in 2023, his Husqvarna Racing crew in addition to Kevin’s Pink Bull KTM Manufacturing facility Racing didn’t join the 2024 championship as a part of rising funds cuts. The brothers, who hail from Argentina, make each effort to indicate as much as nationwide enduro occasions just like the Enduro del Verano although they’ve principally hosted exhibition exhibits on their rally bikes slightly than really participating. Their exhibition will happen earlier than the principle race on Sunday afternoon, the identical day because the ADDC’s Prologue stage.
On the W2RC season-opening Dakar Rally in January, Kevin completed fourth general whereas Luciano was seventh. Kevin, the 2021 and 2023 Dakar victor, claimed three stage wins.
KTM’s absence from the W2RC additionally means Kevin’s team-mates Toby Value and Matthias Walkner usually are not in Abu Dhabi. Walkner was not going to race anyway as he continues to get well from a extreme foot damage he sustained whereas testing for the Dakar in December, whereas Value is getting ready for SCORE Worldwide’s San Felipe 250 in March.
Not like KTM and Husqvarna, Van Beveren’s Monster Vitality Honda Rally Workforce is eligible for W2RC factors however has opted to skip Abu Dhabi as their six riders are “totally deserving of some relaxation and recuperation” after Dakar. Honda dominated the Dakar, profitable seven of twelve levels and Ricky Brabec received the general; Van Beveren received two levels and positioned third. Whereas Honda hoped to provide the riders a break earlier than returning on the BP Final Rally-Raid in April, many are nonetheless staying busy within the meantime like Van Beveren, who’s searching for his third EDV title after 2013 and 2015. Final weekend, his team-mate Tosha Schareina received the FIM E-Xplorer World Cup season opener in Osaka, Japan.
The absence of all three groups, in addition to these like GasGas and Sherco, means the top-level RallyGP class will solely have 4 entries for the ADDC. Hero MotoSports is the one manufacturing facility programme represented, which Dakar runner-up Ross Department hopes to capitalise upon to take the factors lead from Brabec.
The Enduro del Verano, held in Villa Gesell, is the second spherical of the FIM Sand Races World Cup. The 2024 season started two weeks prior with the Enduropale du Touquet in France; fellow rally raider and present Rally2 factors chief Romain Dumontier, who can be skipping Abu Dhabi, retired after a lap with a mechanical concern.
Just like the W2RC, the Sand Races World Cup is overseen by the FIM’s Cross-Nation Fee.
