Day #4 marked the first Dakar Rally stage win for Nacho Cornejo, but Ricky Brabec remains the overall leader. Yesterday’s stage winner, Brabec, was the first to start out this morning, but despite the handicap of having to open, the Honda rider set a red hot pace. Behind him, Nacho Cornejo was able to close the gap and eclipse Brabec on time. The Chilean claimed his maiden special stage victory, after first place finisher Sam Sunderland was penalized. Cornejo now holds third place overall.
Second on the day was Kevin Benavides, another Honda rider in the frenetic battle for the stage triumph, who finished 35 seconds adrift of the stage winner. The Argentinean lies second in the general rankings.
Brabec continues to command at the head of the overall race standings with a 2’3” advantage over Benavides.