consistent ride on the final day , yet it was at the front that we saw there ’ s a new kid on the block and perhaps another to watch as Sanders took the stage win ahead of KTM teammate , Price . The pair finished 7 seconds apart .
“ Being more familiar with the navigation I was able to focus more and start to push ,” explained Sanders , the 26 year old stating that he did make a few mistakes yet has been able to build on his rallying skills and is confident of more to come in the future .
While Benavides was comfortable in the lead , the same couldn ’ t be said for overall second placed van Beveren . He found himself in a virtual fight with third placed Santolino , who for a while , had taken over second place and look like staying there as the pair entered the last 20 kilometres .
Van Beveren was able to reclaim the position and stay there as the rally ended , a remarkable achievement considering his horrific accident on Dakar earlier this year , an accident that had the Frenchman questioning his involvement in the sport .
“ After my crash on the Dakar , for the first time in my career , I wondered if I really wanted to continue racing ,” he explained . “ I thought about it a lot and in the end , I decided to continue for myself , for my personal satisfaction . That ’ s not to say I ’ m not grateful to my team and my sponsors , but it was an important shift in mentality for me .”
The Yamaha rider wanted to take part in the Andalucía Rally to prove to himself that he still had what it takes to be competitive .
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