As he prepares for his home W2RC rally, Luciano Benavides has signed a multi-year contract extension with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. The team announced the new deal on Thursday.

The 2023 World Rally-Raid Champion, Benavides joined KTM in late 2024 after Husqvarna’s parent company Pierer consolidated its rally programs; this move also brought Daniel Sanders from GasGas into the KTM mix. The two have been KTM’s aces since, with Sanders winning the Dakar Rally and W2RC in 2025 while Benavides started the 2026 campaign with his maiden victory at Dakar.

“We’re really happy to continue with Luciano and extend our partnership with this new multi-year agreement,” said team manager Andreas Hölzl. “To have the current Dakar champion in the team, as well as a former World Rally-Raid Champion, is incredibly important and shows the strength of our rally program.

“Luciano brings a huge amount of experience, but also an incredible mentality. He’s a true professional, mentally very strong, and always works hard to improve. He’s become a key part of the team and we’re excited to continue this journey together over the coming years. Now our focus turns to Desafío Ruta 40, Luciano’s home race, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do there.”

Benavides currently leads the RallyGP standings by four points over Honda’s Tosha Schareina and six on Sanders. Following his Dakar win, he finished sixth in class at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal in March.

He’ll hope to maintain his W2RC advantage at the DR 40, held in his native Argentina. Benavides finished second overall but first among points-earning riders in 2023. The most recent edition in 2024 ended with a Stage 1 crash and broken femur in what was ultimately his final start for Husqvarna.

“I’m super happy to continue with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and keep this journey going together,” Benavides stated. “KTM believed in me from the very beginning of my rally career, back when I was still very young and had very little experience in the discipline. They trusted me, gave me the opportunity, and supported me every step of the way, always providing the best people, the best bike, and all the tools to keep improving and fighting at the front. I have achieved the World Rally-Raid title and now, finally, the biggest goal of all with the Dakar victory earlier this year. To be able to give that back to the team and all the people who believed in me from the start means a lot.

“Winning Dakar has changed something in me because it was a dream I had for so many years, but now the motivation is even bigger to keep winning and achieve more together. What I really value is the passion inside this team and the constant drive to keep developing, improving, and pushing forward. That gives me a lot of confidence and motivation to work even harder. KTM feels like a second family to me and I’m excited for what we can achieve together in the future.”

Featured image credit: Matteo Gebbia / Edophoto / DPPI / ASO