DIRT NEWS

and I ’ m sure we ’ ll be a close-knit team . This rally always serves as great preparation for Dakar as the terrain is so similar . I ’ m really excited to get back out there and hopefully bring home a trophy !” Heading up the new Red Bull KTM Factory Racing line-up will be two-time Dakar champion Kevin Benavides ( 2021 with Honda and 2023 with KTM ), who is fully focused on getting back to full fitness ahead of the 2025 Dakar Rally in January . Working closely with the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre , the Argentinian says he continues to make significant progress in his recovery , but has decided to sit out of the Rallye du Maroc this year in order to focus on the Dakar . Kevin Benavides : “ I feel really positive right now as I ’ ve spent a lot of time recovering and even though progress is slow , I ’ m getting closer each day . It was very tough when I had the crash , but

I ’ m always looking ahead to the future . I can ’ t wait to get back to racing , rally is my passion , and I just want to be back out there ! My goal is to be 100 % for Dakar , and until then I will support the team as much as possible while I recover , which is why we decided to sit out of Morocco . To be on a team with Luciano is so special , and Daniel is really great too , so the three of us in orange will be pretty cool !” Andreas Hölzl – Rally Team Manager : “ It ’ s been a challenging year for the team , but we have been working hard all season to be ready for the Rallye du Maroc as it is the best preparation for Dakar . We are confident in the new team , especially with everyone in orange ! Unfortunately , we are still missing Kevin , but with Luciano , last year ’ s world champion , and Daniel , a super strong desert rider , we believe it will work out well in Morocco . We ’ re excited to get racing again !”

KTM is filling the gap between the KTM 65 SX and the KTM 125 SX with the new 2025 KTM 85 SX , which is expected to provide young racers the ideal platform to launch into full-size motocross competition . Team Tangerine say the 2025 KTM 85 SX has been developed to be as close to a scaled-down version of a full-size KTM Motocross machine as possible , with international testing taking place in Europe , North America , and Australia . According to KTM , this has resulted in an 85 cc screamer that not only looks like its bigger brothers but behaves like them , sharing the same high levels of quality and attention to detail . For 2025 , the KTM 85 SX has been updated to enhance handling characteristics , boost rider confidence , and improve engine performance in the low to mid-rpm range .

KIWI RIDER 99