Irish Motor Sports News – Monster Energy Honda Team’s Benavides, first bike leader of the Silk Way Rally 2019

Monster Energy Honda Team’s Benavides, first bike leader of the Silk Way Rally 2019

Jul 07, 2019

Monster Energy Honda Team rider Kevin Benavides sees his name inscribed in the Silk Way Rally history books as he becomes the first leader in the maiden outing of the motorcycle category. Barreda, posting fourth, and Cornejo both avoided mishaps.

The Silk Way Rally got underway today, Sunday, with a 50-kilometre curtain-raising special stage on route from Irkutsk to Baykalsk, which featured mountain tracks and riverbeds in the surroundings of Lake Baikal. The rain yesterday, which continued overnight, led to a mud-drenched affair, punctuated with some hazardous puddles. Riders with an enduro background faired better, while others employed low-risk, damage limitation strategies to avoid falls.

The quickest over the short distance proved to be Monster Energy Honda Team’s Argentine rider Kevin Benavides, who finished the timed special in just over 30 minutes to become the first race leader, some 36 seconds ahead of his brother.

Spanish ace Joan Barreda was the first of the trio to take the start and acquitted himself well to take the day’s fourth fastest time, while conceding little. Meanwhile, José Ignacio Cornejo finished in thirdteen place after a cautious start to the rally.

The second stage of the Silk Way Rally will be held tomorrow, Monday. With the start in Baykalsk and the finish in Ulan Ude, riders can expect a 413.72-kilometre total trek including 207 km against the clock. The forest routes to be tackled will feature a fair dosage of small rocks.

Kevin Benavides

STAGE: 1st OVERALL: 1st

I couldn’t ask for anything more! To start the race with a nice stage victory is always pleasing. Also, it will really boost my self-confidence which I needed a little. We have worked hard before the race and the results are starting to show. This race promises to surprise us with some very lovely places, but we have to continue working and pushing hard because we have only tackled the first of what will be a lot of tough days that lie ahead.

Joan Barreda

STAGE: 4th STANDINGS: 4th

It was a short 50-kilometre stage, but it was a difficult, or rather, a complicated one. At the beginning there were many flooded parts with puddles full of plenty of water which made for an insecure ride. We even had a few slight scares, which meant that we had to proceed with caution. It has been a good warm-up, a great way to get a feel for the terrain, as yet unknown to us.

José Ignacio Cornejo

STAGE: 14th STANDINGS: 14th

There was a lot of mud in the stage because of the rains that fell yesterday. I took things carefully not to make mistakes and avoid falling which would have affected my confidence. I am satisfied with what I have done out on a route that didn’t favour my riding style. It has not been a bad day and I hope to keep improving the pace a little as the race progresses.

Results Stage 1

Pos.	Rider	Nation	Team	Time/Gap
1	Benavides Kevin	ARG	Monster Energy Honda Team	00:30’51
2	Benavides Luciano	ARG	KTM Factory Racing Team	+0’36
3	de Soultrait Xavier	FRA	Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team	+0’51
4	Barreda Joan	SPA	Monster Energy Honda Team	+1’06
5	Sunderland Sam	GBR	Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team	+1’15
6	Goncalves Paulo	POR	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	+1’36
7	Van Beveren Adrien	FRA	Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team	+2’02
8	Caimi Franco	ARG	Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team	+2’51
9	Short Andrew	USA	Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing	+3’01
10	Mena Oriol	SPA	Hero Motorsports Team Rally	+3’31
11	Tomiczek Adam	POL	KTM Orlen Rally Team	+4’15
12	Giemza Maciej	POL	KTM Orlen Rally Team	+4’47
13	Cornejo José Ignacio	CHI	Monster Energy Honda Team	+6’10

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