Jose “Nacho” Cornejo Wins Dakar Stage 7

Seven stages and a Prelude, eight possible No. 1 positions through eight days of racing at the famed Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, and Monster Energy racers have won seven of them.

Chalk up a third win for Monster Energy/Honda Team’s Jose “Nacho” Cornejo on Sunday (and ninth of his career) as the Chilean great guided his CRF450 Rally to the Stage 7 win – 3:12 out front of Luciano Benevides (Husqvarna).

The overall Stage 7 run, some 480 km from Riyadh to Al Duwadimi, literally tested every facet of the Dakar racers’ meddle. From the tricky-to-navigate opening canyon maze including small rivers and sketchy rock, right into the heart of the Empty Quarter’s notorious sand dunes, then through single tracks dotted on the sides by more unforgiving jagged boulders, “Nacho” served up an order of excellence that no one could match.

“Long day, long stage. Long meetings in the morning, then started with some difficult navigation right out of the gate, then some dunes and sand, then finished on some tracks with rocks and some difficult navigation, too,” explained Cornejo. “Not 100-percent comfortable with the bike today, but I knew it was a day that I had to recover some minutes. So I kept pushing like that. I was a little bit mentally challenged, but we made it through with a good stage. Third stage win of this year and I’m quite happy with that.”

Joining Cornejo in the top five on Stage 7 were Hero Motosports, fueled by Monster Energy’s Ross Branch, who was about three minutes back of the Benevides’, while current overall motorcycle class points leader, Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda Team) would be about a minute back of Branch in 5th.

Overall, Brabec leads the Dakar by a mere 1 second over 2nd place Branch after 32 hours of racing (32:37:20 to 32:27:21), with each sharing just 1 minute in accrued penalty time. Cornejo picks up the No. 3 spot, and is about 7 minutes back of Brabec and Branch (though with 6:00 of penalty time). In 4th place, giving Monster Energy 1st/2nd/3rd and 4th overall through the halfway point in the 15-stage Dakar Rally, is Honda Team’s Adrien Van Beveren, who placed 9th in Stage 7 (14:39 back with no penalty time).

And in SSV racing at Dakar, bringing her South Racing Can-Am Maverick home in 4th place on Stage 7 was Monster Energy’s Sara Price. The Californian, partnered with navigator Jeremy Gray, raced to a 6:00:22 on the stage – 10:45 back of the lead SSV. Overall, Price and Gray are in 4th place, 7:38 back of leaders Xavier De Soultrait and Martin Bonnet of France.

Stage Quotes

Van Beveren: “It was really tough. We knew it would be a difficult day. I had to slow down and pick up the good traces. The beginning was like a labyrinth. You don’t see shit. Honestly, I feel sad because I did a lot to make up time and closer to the top step, and today I feel that I really paid so expensive the invoice. It’s part of Dakar, we know it. To be honest, I am kind of lost. Today was a key stage. And I started in front. But I don’t want to be again the guy who starts up front. Another super long one tomorrow and I have to pay again. I struggle to except this, but yeah, it’s part of Dakar.”

Brabec: “Stage 7 was OK. Day after rest day, hard to get back moving. But even though we lost the rear brakes pretty early, we managed to get though the stage just fine. Mix of everything. Small rivers. Rocky canyons. Tricky passes. Then sand. Then more rocky piste and canyons. We kind of struggled with that all day. Caught up to Adrien just before the first refueling, and was able to pick up some bonus points helping Adrien navigate all the way to the finish. Definitely was difficult with no rear brakes. Happy to lead the overall, but I wish the gap was a little bit bigger. We’ll see what happens the next five days.

Branch: “It was a really long stage today – 480 km of really tough riding. But it was also a lot of fun. Lots of open, flowing tracks and trails and some dunes in the middle. I really enjoyed it! The race in front is now really close, so we’ve got a few days to manage it well and see what we can do.”

Notes:

• “It’s one of the best to open because the Special is not that many kilometers,” said Cornejo, who’ll start 1st in Monday’s Stage 8 of Dakar. 
   
• “Make that 1-2-3 for South America with Luciano and Kevin (Benevides, from Argentina). We started racing together at the same time and we’re very good friends,” added Cornejo on the podium of his South American amigos.
   
• Since the start of the ’24 Dakar, the motorcycle class has traveled some 2,865 km across the barren Saudi countryside. So what puts Brabec’s 1-second ‘click’ lead over Branch even more into perspective is that second, in the grand scheme of the 32 hours and 37 minutes for Dakar racing thus far, Brabec’s lead amounts to about 24 meters. Or about the length of an NBA basketball court.
   
• Everyone was discussing the length of Stage 7 at the bivouac afterwards. Considering Dakar stage lengths range from (roughly) 6-700 km, Sunday’s Stage 7 was the 800-pound Gorilla Stage, running 873 km, which was in excess of 100 km further than the next longest stage (733 km Stage 3 from Al Duwadimi to Al Salamiya.
   
• Brabec kept some cool company in the Stage 7 bivouac as the President of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Faisal Al Saud, was on hand to give out a special award, and took the time to speak with some of the racers – including motorcycle division overall leader Brabec.

Dakar Stage 7 Motorcycle Results

Monster Energy Motorcycle Standings @ Dakar (after Stage 7)

Monster Energy Dakar SSV Class

Stage 8, Al Duwadimi to Ha’il, is a 220 km Liaison with a 458 km special. Fairly mellow sand start will provide for some great passing opportunities, chances to make up time without considerable risk. But before you can say “soft and easy” the course, as Dakar so often does, turns dark. Stones to boulders, rugged terrain all the way to Ha’il. For more information, including “Live” timing and scoring, visit www.dakar.com