(Reuters) – Argentine rider Kevin Benavides ended the defence of his Dakar Rally title on Wednesday when his KTM motorcycle broke down on the tenth stage in Saudi Arabia and he retired from the occasion.
The 33-year-old had been fifth general, some 10 minutes behind his Austrian crew mate and in a single day chief Matthias Walkner.
Organisers mentioned Benavides stopped 133km into the 375km particular stage between Wadi Ad Dawasir and Bisha with a mechanical drawback that he was unable to repair.
Benavides gained final yr’s Dakar on a Honda, changing into the primary South American to win the occasion within the motorcycle class.
The rally, now in its forty fourth version, ends in Jeddah on Friday.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, modifying by Christian Radnedge)
