The winner in motorcycles of the 2021 Dakar Rally has had to give up in the 2022 edition. Kevin Benavides had to give up due to technical problems.
The champion
Argentine motorcycle driver Benavides had high hopes of defending his Dakar title in 2022. Although it has already been shown that in motorcycles it is much less predictable than in other classes, Benavides was still in the top five of the standings after the ninth stage. He hasn't won a stage yet this year.
That stage victory will not come in 2022 either, because the organization of the Dakar Rally announced that the reigning champion had to retire during the tenth stage with a technical problem. Benavides made it to the third waypoint where he came in fifth, but then had to give up.