In what might be the end of an era, KTM factory racer Kevin Benavides is retiring from professional racing.
Benavides has been one of the most successful Dakar Rally riders over the past decade, winning the 2021 race for Honda and the 2023 race for KTM after switching teams the year of his first championship. His win with Honda was a major milestone, the company’s second win since they re-entered the race in 2013 (Ricky Brabec had the first win for the reborn team in 2020). It proved Honda’s rally bikes were truly and finally at the level of their competitors, and “Big Kev” had been with Honda through its lean years in South America, when they were struggling to build reliable bikes that could finish the race. Before his first-place finish for Honda in 2021, he’d finished second overall in 2018, showing he could ride consistent pace to the finish instead of the usual crash-and-burn act of then-teammate Joan Barreda.

Kevin Benavides, in 2021, the year he won his first Dakar championship while riding a Honda. He put in several years with that team, starting during their South American run, before moving to KTM. Photo: Honda
Along with his two Dakar victories and eight stage wins, Benavides also raced and won events in the W2RC rally raid series and even competed in the ISDE and other enduro events. He was well-known for winning multiple enduro titles in his home country of Argentina before he focused on rally raid.
When the Dakar moved from South America to Saudi Arabia, Benavides was a consistent challenger for the front until the 2025 race, when injuries caught up with him. During training for the Desafio Ruta 40 race in 2024, Benavides broke his humerus and suffered other nerve and brain injuries. He was unable to get back in fighting shape for the Dakar Rally in January of 2025, with results that lagged far behind his usual pace. Because of that, he’s retiring from pro racing.

Big Kev says he hopes to help support his younger brother Luciano with his racing career, and stick around the KTM organization. Photo: KTM
Benavides made the following statement:
Saying goodbye to the bike feels like letting go of a part of myself, but I do so with pride. From Salta, Argentina, to the world, becoming a factory rider, winning the Dakar twice, and making history in rally and Argentine sport – these were dreams that once seemed impossible. This isn’t how I imagined retiring, but my injury prevents me from competing at 100 percent, and I’ve always raced with everything I had. Still, I’m deeply grateful for all I’ve achieved.
He says he hopes to remain with KTM’s racing organization in some capacity, perhaps helping his younger brother Luciano’s racing career.
Whatever happens, the lineup at Dakar continues to change very drastically, particularly on the KTM team, where Sam Sutherland, Toby Price, Matthias Walkner and now Big Kev are all gone after years of dominance. Looks like it’s time for Daniel Sanders and their other younger riders to shine in 2026!