The Argentine legion has some surprises in this competition, 2nd Date of the World Cup.
Source: Campeones Revista. Link to the note.
The brothers Kevin and Luciano Benavides from Salta along with Franco and Stéfano Caimi from Mendoza will compete in the Motorcycle category, while the sailor Bruno Jacomy (also from Mendoza) will be among the participants. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will be the 2nd Date of the World Rally Raid after the opening of the tournament with the Dakar.
In its 31st edition, the event in the Emirati desert is the oldest in the region and summons the greatest exponents of each category from March 5 to 10. Among them, the duel between Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) and Sebastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Extreme) in Cars, the multiple candidates in Motorcycles, among which the Argentines stand out, the presence of ‘Chaleco’ López (South Racing Can-Am) in Light Prototypes and Austin Jones in SSV.
Argentina is present
Kevin Benavides joins the KTM Factory Team hungry for revenge after the engine failure that deprived him of fighting for victory in the 2022 Dakar with a self-imposed motto of “Rise and shine”. The eldest of the brothers from Salta stated that “we are going to the second round of the World Cup in Abu Dhabi very motivated to return to the desert and to the races, I missed him”.
Luciano Benavides is also on the outskirts of Dubai to then go to the border with Saudi Arabia to enter the desert competition. “It is a good return to the rally that we will have in a few more days and we are ready to go”, highlighted the Husqvarna Factory Team rider.
Franco Caimi is facing the same feeling, returning after an absence from the Dakar due to an injury that had complicated his plans at the end of the previous season. “We are back in the desert to regain pace, confidence and get through the pain, which is challenging after crashes and injuries. Little by little we are coming back and in the meantime, I am happy to be on top of my Hero again”, said the pilot who represents the original Indian brand. However, he anticipated that the confirmation of his start will depend on a review and his particular feeling. Otherwise, he will only do training.
As if that were not enough, it will produce the return of the younger brother Stéfano Caimi to the world of rally raid. After sporadic participations, the long-distance rider in Enduro will bet on this specialty again to join international races from this year: «I am ready to fulfill my dream with my first World Rally Championship race in Abu Dhabi, happy to share it with my brothers Franco and Bruno Jacomy (with whom they have a long-standing friendship). A great race is coming that has been an illusion for a long time and today it is a reality », he admitted. Precisely, Jacomy is a person close to the Caimi family. He has consolidated his path as a professional sailor and continues his relationship with the South Racing team to accompany Englishman Thomas Bell from the right seat in a CanAm of the T3 category of the World Championship.