Ross Branch was victorious on stage 10 at the 2023 Dakar Rally. Branch lost so many times in the previous stages, that it is unlikely that he will win the overall race for Hero Motorsports. In a very short stage, the main competitors played cat and mouse. There was nothing to gain but much to lose. Skyler Howes was patient and handed the provisional lead over to Kevin Benevidez. Tomorrow, Howes will be 18th at the Marathon stage.
Skyler Howes said: “Yeah we knew what was in store when we entered the Empty Quarter and all its dunes. Today, the special was so brief, I wanted make sure that I was in good shape to race tomorrow’s marathon stage. To get an idea of the dunes, I decided to take it a bit easier and be more conservative. One great moment was when I tried to make the helicopter look fancy, but it didn’t work out. It was all good and we now have another day of dunes. I look forward to tomorrow.
2023 Dakar Rally Stage 10 Provisional Classification
1. Ross Branch (Hero), 1:44:00
2. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 1:44:21
3. Michael Docherty, Husqvarna 1:44.30
4. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 1:45:00
5. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 1:45:22
6. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 1:46:43
18. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 1:51:38
2023 Dakar — Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 10]
1. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 35:46:06
2. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 35:47:35
3. Toby Price (KTM) 35:48:16
4. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 35:55:58
5. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 36:01:04
6. Mason Klein (KTM) 36:01:44