Sanders Day 4
Skyler Howes
Ricky Brabec
KTM Factory Racing’s rookie sensation Daniel Sanders won the fourth and final stage of the 2020 Andalucia Rally. Pushing hard through the dust, Sanders edged out fellow Aussie and KTM teammate Toby Price by just seven seconds. After a break-out day on Stage 3 as Top American, Skyler Howes finished 18th on the final day, surrendering the title of Top American to Andrew Short. When the dust settled, Short, defending Dakar champ Ricky Brabec and Howes finished 13th, 14th and 15th overall.
“Just like that, this event is finished with and we're going home in one piece,” said Brabec from the finish line. “After doing a few days of roadbooks here last week, I knew it was out of my comfort zone to be racing here. Glad we get to go home safe and focus on what's next: #dakar2021
Closing out the Andalucia Rally, stage four covered a total of 233 kilometers, 210 of which were timed special held on the now familiar dirt tracks of the region. With much of the stage sharing the same route as used on previous days, navigation was less of an issue and riders were able to push harder on the fast, open terrain. The Navigation was as tough as the course for many of the competitors… except for Honda’s Kevin Benavides. The Argentinian has led all week and finished the final stage 30 seconds in front of P2 finisher Adrien Van Beveren who in turn had a consistent week and can claim to be one of the few riders to not take time penalties or miss waypoints
In what was only his first competitive rally event for the KTM Factory Racing team, Daniel Sanders has shown he is more than capable of delivering accurate navigation and the speed required to mix it with the top rally racers. Just weeks after commencing his road book training, the likeable Aussie has claimed an international rally stage win – an impressive achievement for any rider. In successfully completing the Andalucia Rally – securing 11th place overall – Sanders qualifies for the Dakar Rally in January. His training will now continue over the months leading up to the iconic event.
Provisional Standings (after stage four) – 2020 Andalucia Rally
1. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 10:30:51
2. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 10:38:33 +7:42
3. Lorenzo Santolino (ESP), Sherco, 10:38:45 +7:54
4. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 10:43:13 +12:22
5. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 10:51:30 +20:39
