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.
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'' |
