Dakar 2023: Barreda Claims Stage 4 Victory, Klein Loses Precious Time

Daniel Sanders remains at the top of the general standings with Sklyer Howes and Kevin Benavides in tow.

Dustin Wheelen

By: Dustin Wheelen

Jan 4, 2023 at 2:53pm ET

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If Murphy’s Law applies to any competition, it’s the Dakar Rally. We’ve seen it time and time again. Leading riders will dominate a string of stages before a mechanical issue, crash, or navigation mix-up costs them the entire rally. The 2023 Dakar is no different.

After notching a Stage 1 victory, American rider and 2020 Dakar champion Ricky Brabec crashed out of the race in Stage 3. It seems like KTM rider Mason Klein inherited his fellow American’s bad luck in Stage 4. Klein encountered a fuel pump intake failure during the last 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) stretch of the 574-kilometer (356.7-mile) loop.

“It’s pretty disappointing because the day was going so well, but at least we made it here,” Klein told NBC Sports. “Tomorrow, maybe I’ll try and make up some time again, I guess. It’s pretty hard. You can’t really make up time. You just lose it.”

Klein entered the fourth stage in second place. The Californian lost 10 minutes due to the on-course repair, pushing him down to 11th place in the stage and sixth place in the general standings.

On the opposite side of fortune’s coin, it was smooth sailing for the Monster Energy Honda Team. Joan Barreda secured his 30th Dakar stage victory while teammate Pablo Quintanilla claimed the runner-up spot. Husqvarna’s Skyler Howes rounded out the podium ahead of KTM’s Toby Price in fourth and Honda’s Adrien Van Beveren in fifth.

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Stage 4’s top-ten finishers follow below:

JOAN BARREDA BORT	MONSTER ENERGY JB TEAM	04H 28' 18''
PABLO QUINTANILLA	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM	04H 28' 34''
SKYLER HOWES	HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING	04H 29' 23''
TOBY PRICE	RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING	04H 30' 42''
ADRIEN VAN BEVEREN	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM	04H 30' 55''
LUCIANO BENAVIDES	HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING	04H 31' 31''
KEVIN BENAVIDES	RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING	04H 31' 37''
DANIEL SANDERS	RED BULL GASGAS FACTORY RACING	04H 34' 25''
JOSE IGNACIO CORNEJO FLORIMO	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM	04H 37' 22''
LORENZO SANTOLINO	SHERCO FACTORY	04H 38' 44''

The top ten in the General Standings follow below:

DANIEL SANDERS	RED BULL GASGAS FACTORY RACING	18H 40' 03'
SKYLER HOWES	HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING	18H 43' 36''
KEVIN BENAVIDES	RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING	18H 44' 08''
JOAN BARREDA BORT	MONSTER ENERGY JB TEAM	18H 44' 33''
TOBY PRICE	RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING	18H 47' 20''
MASON KLEIN	BAS WORLD KTM RACING TEAM	18H 50' 08''
PABLO QUINTANILLA	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM	18H 51' 08''
ADRIEN VAN BEVEREN	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM	18H 58' 03''
LUCIANO BENAVIDES	HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING	19H 01' 19''
MATTHIAS WALKNER	RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING	19H 08' 28''