All content © Bob MuIIins

Toby Price wins Dakar Rally; 15th win for KTM

Red Bull KTM factory rider Toby Price on Saturday won the 2016 Dakar Rally to give KTM, the Austrian brand its 15th victory in the world’s toughest annual rally raid. Price’s victory was also the first time an Australian rider has taken the title and the first time in the history of the event that a rider had won it on a second attempt. Price raced his first Dakar last year and he took a podium third.

Price, who wrapped up the more than 9,000km ride in 48 hours nine minutes 15 seconds, finished an impressive 39 minutes 41 ahead of second placed KTM rider Stefan Svitko of Slovakia. Pablo Quintanilla of Chile was third overall, his best ever Dakar result.

Speaking after the stage, Price said: “Winning in my second participation is awesome, but being the first Australian to win the Dakar is just insane. I would've never imagined this two years ago. Finishing the rally is already a triumph. Winning it is amazing! I tackled the race in true Aussie style. I attacked when I had to, when the time was right, and I kept an eye on my bike during the all-important marathon stages. I also navigated quite well. I hope this is just the start, to win again. It won't be easy, so I've got to savour this victory."

The Australian was a dominating presence throughout the rally, which this year also had to deal with extreme weather conditions ranging from thunderstorms and flooding to intense temperatures. Aware that he had to prove his third place podium in 2015 was no coincidence, he prepared well and picked up his first stage win in the second stage after the first one was washed out by thunderstorms. He went on to survive the high altitudes of Bolivia, won stages 5-6 and before the rest day in Salta he had moved into second overall. Refreshed and recharged, Price went on to win the eighth and ninth stages to firmly establish himself as the man to beat.

As the rally went into more difficult navigation and at times blistering temperatures, Price continued to manage the final four stages to start the final day with an impressive 37.39 advantage. By the finish he had added another minute and a half to this time advantage.

It was a best ever result for Svitko who raced his first Dakar in 2010 and who was fifth overall last year. He was the stage 10 winner and despite a small setback in the next stage was consistently among the top three all the way to Rosario.

Third placed Quintanilla finally took the third overall after a great rivalry between him and Red Bull KTM’s Dakar rookie Antoine Meo. Right up to stage 12, the third place could have gone to either rider but Meo crashed hard 40km from the end of the penultimate stage. He struggled through to the end of the final stage clearly suffering from the effects of the crash but still managed to finish seventh overall. Meo, a multi enduro world champion, has made a smooth and impressive transition into rally raid and leaves the competition as the stand out rookie and a double stage winner.

KTM factory rider Laia Sanz finished an impressive top 15, thus achieving her pre-rally goal. She also did it after riding the last two stages with a high temperature and a broken collarbone and in doing so underlined her skill and her enormous fighting spirit. Factory teammate Jordi Viladoms laboured during the first week with the effects of a fever and although his health improved in the second half of the rally, he had to settle for overall 17th.

Factory team manager Alex Doringer said he was happy and proud of all of his team, but also underlined the two weeks of the rally had been very, very tough. He said that the retirement of five-time Dakar winner Marc Coma last summer had in fact opened the door to a new generation and the reward was to be seen on the podium.

Doringer: “I could see Toby was a top guy with potential and good navigation skills. He did an amazing job and I am very happy for him. When I brought him into the team I was very happy to do something for my old friend Kurt Caselli. He was the one who encouraged me to try to get Toby to the Dakar and today we see the result. I am also very proud of Antoine (Meo). He did so well in his first Dakar and he will be very good in the future. He was incredibly brave to ride to the finish today after he had a very big crash yesterday, but he wanted to be with the team at the end. It has also great to see the team spirit and the friendship that has built up between Toby and Antoine. Even though Toby was heading for the win, today he rode all the way behind Antoine to make sure he was going to make it to the finish.

“Jordi (Viladoms) had a tough two weeks because he was sick almost the whole time and he wasn’t able to get back his strength to have a good result. But he is incredibly important for the team, and especially the way he helps and advises the young guys. And Laia (Sanz) well, she is unique the way she is able to fight, and we all have a huge respect for her. Everybody likes her and we’re so happy and proud that she is riding with us. It was perhaps not the result she was hoping for, but considering that she had a big crash and was also sick, she did an amazing job. We are also super happy to have one of our customer bikes on the podium and this is what we work for.”

Doringer paid tribute to all of his extended team for their efforts and also thanked the KTM Board members and KTM Motorsports for all the support and encouragement they offered to the factory rally team.

The Dakar Rally 2016 was very successful for KTM. Five of the top 10, and 12 of the top 20 finishers rode the Made in Austria KTM bikes.

Final Stage 13 Results
Villa Carlos Paz – Rosario
Total distance 699km; timed special 180km

Price extends overall lead going into Dakar Rally’s final stage

Red Bull KTM factory rider Toby Price on Friday wrapped up the penultimate stage of the 2016 Dakar Rally in second place and further extended his overall lead as the competition heads for the finish line in Rosario, Argentina, on Saturday.

On a day that was not only the longest stage but that also threw many challenges at the riders, it was the Australian’s priority to manage his overall lead and get safely to the finish. Price completed the stage in second place some 7 minutes 32 behind the day’s winner Helder Rodrigues of Portugal. In the process he bumped up his accumulated lead to 37.39 minutes ahead of KTM rider Stefan Svitko of Slovakia. Svitko was fourth in the stage some 9.48 behind the winner. If he is able to hold onto overall second through to the finish line on Saturday it will be a career best Dakar for him.

Price’s job is not over yet. There is still some 700km to ride, including 180km under the clock as riders travel from Villa Carlos Paz to Rosario. Those who have survived the 12 stages so far will start in reverse order to build the final tension as they head for the finish.

Friday was a long and exhausting day with difficult conditions that were tough on bikes and tires. Riders also had to cope with rain and mud during the timed special.

Price said it had been tough day, where there was a 450km liaison section to ride before they reached the start of the timed special. “Before the special started you felt like you had already done a half marathon. But for sure we got through it with no big dramas. It was a hard stage, not with the navigation but just with preserving the bike and the tires. There was a lot of real sharp shale rocks and they chewed up everything really quick. It felt like I was riding on ice on the last bit. We also copped a fair bit of rain in the last section. The riverbeds were up again and it felt like the crossings were very slippery. I went for one little ‘excursion’ where it was slippery and I caught a bit of mud. So I just backed it down to make sure we got to the finish line and I didn’t trash the bike or myself."

Price admitted that now so close to the end of the race, the emotions were on the rise with a real prospect of winning this 9,000 epic on only his second attempt. “There’s a lot of mixed thoughts, a lot of emotions but the bike’s all good and the team has done an unbelievable job in getting it sorted. Now we just have to get to the finish line.”

It was a disappointing end to the stage for factory teammate Antoine Meo, who was in podium contention on Thursday and rode up with the leaders until the last 40 km, when he encountered some problems.

Commenting on his ride Meo said: “At the beginning it was not so bad. I was riding well and then one moment I missed a waypoint and had to go back to it. I lost a bit of time on Toby (Price) but it was not a big gap between us and I stayed focused. Then near the finish there was a crest that was not marked in the road book. I was riding fast, braked and lost the back end and went over the handlebars. That was very bad because I was trying to keep hold of my third place (in the overall times). But that’s how it is. Next year it will be better.”

Meo finished the stage some 43 minutes off the leading time and dropped down to sixth place in the overall standings. Regardless of the outcome, the team’s French recruit and multi enduro champion can leave the rally with two stage wins and plenty of admiration for his impressive debut ride.

Teammate Jordi Viladoms finished back at 18th in the stage after suspecting he may have had a potential technical difficulty and nursed the bike through the difficult terrain. Viladoms struggled through the first week of competition on medication for a fever and it is only in the final stages that he has begun to find his form and recover his energy.

Health issues also plagued factory teammate Laia Sanz. While she did manage to finish stage 12 in 14th place, just under 27 minutes off the stage winner, she did it riding with the effects of tonsillitis and a damaged collarbone following a crash in stage 11. Sanz is currently 16th overall so her pre-race goal of a top 15 finish is still within her grasp.

Sanz: “Today was hard but I’m happy I finished the stage because yesterday I was not sure I would be able to do it. At the beginning I was riding quite well but then I started to get tires because I have a temperature and with my collarbone. But I had no crashes today and let’s see what happens tomorrow.”

STAGE 12 (penultimate stage)

San Juan – Villa Carlos Paz
Total distance 931km, timed special 481km

Dakar Stage 11 to KTM’s Meo; Price further extends overall lead

Red Bull KTM factory rider Antoine Meo of France on Thursday sealed his second stage win in the Dakar Rally to finish the eleventh stage just 18 seconds ahead of teammate and current overall leader, Australian Toby Price. Third on the day was Pablo Quintanilla. Riders now only have two stages to go to reach the finish in Rosario on Saturday but still have many kilometers left to put under their wheels.

Meo, on his debut Dakar ride for the team continues to impress with his performance and described his day as ‘incredible’, saying: “In the beginning I quite quickly caught up to Goncalves and after that I rode pretty well. At one moment I thought I had made a mistake in the navigation so I turned back, but in fact I was good. So Pablo (Quintanilla) caught up to me. After that I had a big crash because I didn’t see well in the dust, but after the refueling I was better in the navigation and it was really great. I made a gap to Pablo and after that I rode alone and it was good for me.”

Meo is currently overall third in front of Quintanilla and a good battle is developing between the two riders. Asked if he thought a podium was possible, Meo took the cautious approach. “It’s difficult to say because tomorrow I need to open the track and it looks like it is going to be another crazy stage. But I’ll try my best and we will see.”

Price confirmed it had been a long stage. “It’s the third day from the end and it seems to be getting harder and harder, so they are definitely driving us into the ground at the moment. But yeah, it was a good day. We started off third and I caught the guys in front and then sat behind them a bit. They made a mistake and I got past them, but then so did I. I fixed it quite quickly but they had got past me so I just sat there for a while. Then they made another mistake and I was good to go and I rode all the way to the finish. We’ve built the overall lead a little bit more, so hopefully I can make the last two days a bit more comfortable. We’ve still got a lot to go so for sure it’s going to be a long one and very tiring.”

Asked how he planned to tackle the last two stages Price said: As long as we don’t lose 15 minutes in both these stages I think we will be fairly good. I’ve got to do it nice and smooth, look after the bike and make sure we rest up enough. Hopefully we’ll be in good shape,” he added. “We're another day closer, but for sure, it's been a hard one. I can't smell victory yet, not yet. I won't smell victory until I cross the finishing line on the last day.”

Stage 10 winner, KTM rider Stefan Svitko of Slovakia was seventh on Thursday but is still holding second overall position albeit now 35 minutes 23 behind Price.

With Just 14 riders at the finish, organizers once again called a halt to the stage at CP2 after 243 km, citing “exceedingly difficult weather conditions caused by the extreme heat and the large number of riders in difficulty”. Leaders times were verified and remained unchanged, but some adjustment may be made for the other riders.

Red Bull KTM’s Jordi Viladoms came in provisionally at ninth in the stage for his best result so far. Viladoms struggled with a fever in the first week and is now only finding his normal energy levels. “Today was a good day for me. I started in the back and it was really dusty but I saw today that my rhythm was good. I was fast and passed many riders. My energy was also good and its good for me to have a stage like this. Because I see I am still alive and still a good rider.”

It was the second very difficult day for KTM factory rider Laia Sanz who struggled through the ride with a temperature and fever, and who also suffered a crash later in the day. “Today I had a temperature and I didn’t feel really good. I was doing a quiet stage just to finish, because it was long and physical at the beginning. I was riding with no problems, then after the refueling it was faster and less physical. We got into a riverbed and I let Viladoms pass me. Then I was in his dust and had a big crash. I damaged the bike but I was lucky I didn’t get injured.” Sanz said she will try to get as much rest as possible to hope to be in better shape for the long penultimate stage Friday.

Riders face a daunting 931 km on the penultimate day including 481km of timed special. They will move into semi mountainous terrain with tight, vegetation-lined tracks, and will need all their concentration to avoid making any mistakes. The penultimate overnight stop will be in Villa Carlos Paz.

KTM Results Service
Dakar Rally Stage 11
La Rioja - San Juan – total distance 712km, timed special 431km
Note: Stage halted at CP2 after 243 km; leading riders times were verified and will stand, organisers announced.

Dakar Stage win for KTM rider Svitko; Price maintains good overall lead

Slovak KTM rider Stefan Svitko, competing in his seventh Dakar Rally, on Wednesday mastered the second half of the second marathon stage to take his first ever stage victory in this epic annual race. Meanwhile, exercising the necessary caution, overall leader Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price finished third in the stage and is now in front by just over 23 minutes.

Price finished behind second-placed Kevin Benavides, just five minutes 47 off the leading time. Paolo Goncalves of Portugal was fourth in the stage, but after problems in stage nine, the rally’s early leader is now 34 minutes 15 behind Price in the overall standings.

Price: “Today was really good. I backed it off a bit to make sure we didn’t make any mistakes and I hit all my waypoints with a big smile on my face. There were no problems, no dramas. It was a strong day and now we just have to try to manage it (the rally) now until the end.”

Commenting after the stage Svitko said he had not expected to be in overall second at this stage of the rally: “There are three more stages before the end but I’m very happy with the classification. I didn’t expect that.”

Riders were coming off the second marathon stage where overnight they are not allowed any contact with their teams and must manage their machinery and tires to last over two days of very hard riding. The first half of the marathon was somewhat controversial after it was called to a halt at the second CP for most of the field. Price and 11 other riders rode over the whole distance, more than 100km more in very tough conditions.

Reflecting on Tuesday’s ride Price, who sealed his fourth stage win that day commented: “It was a tough day, the hardest terrain and in a straight line for more than 100km. I was almost on the limit in the hot temperatures in the sand dunes. It was difficult but we did a good pace.”

“Today was long sand dunes, a few little river beds and about 95% off track. We had to make sure we stayed on top of the road book and made no mistakes. It was very difficult at around the 30km mark, so I took my time around that spot and I think that’s where I lost some time. In the last two days I’ve probably learned more than in my last six rallies. For sure it’s built my confidence up a bit and it shows I can navigate. And yesterday showed I can navigate with a bit of speed.”

Red Bull KTM’s Antoine Meo continued to impress in his debut Dakar ride and finished 7.43 off the lead to be fifth overall. Pablo Quintanilla of Chile was close behind in sixth place. Quintanilla and Meo are currently 4-5 in the standings as the rally goes into its final stages.

Reflecting on his day, Meo commented: “I was riding alone until the first navigation section and it wasn’t so nice to be on my own. But in the end it was good for learning the navigation and how to ride in the dunes.”

KTM factory rider Jordi Viladoms finished 18th in the stage and is now 22nd in the standings. Teammate Laia Sanz was the 40th finisher but is holding at a very competent 16th overall in the rankings. Sanz lost time on Wednesday after a crash but was reported to have reached the finish.

Team Manager Alex Doringer: “The condition of the team is quite good and we’re in a good position. Toby Antoine, Laia and Viladoms did a good job. They worked together like it should be in a team. Toby managed to put some more time on the overall lead, the bike is good and the riders are good. Tomorrow the stage will be very difficult and I think it will be the key stage. It’s very long with difficult navigation and a lot of sand and fesh-fesh and bushes.”

Speaking about Price, Doringer said the Australian rider had shown over the past 10 days why he had been selected to join the factory team. Doringer also commented that while the navigation in the second half of the rally had got more complicated, the first half had also not been easy. “The stages were much faster and this also makes navigation difficult, because you have to read and navigate at speed,” he added.

The rally continues on Thursday from La Rioja to San Juan over another 712km, the longest stage of this year’s edition. It finishes in Rosario on Saturday.

Dakar Rally Stage 10
Total distance 561km, timed special cut to 244km following thunderstorms

Price continues winning ways in Dakar Stage Nine

Red Bull KTM factory rider Toby Price on Tuesday took yet another stage win at the Dakar Rally 2016 and now also has a commanding lead in the overall standings as the race heads for the finish in Argentina’s Rosario on Saturday.

The Australian rider was one of 12 riders who covered the whole distance before organizers called a halt to the stage at the second official checkpoint, citing extreme heat as the reason. Race officials later adjusted results after they reviewed the situation concerning the decision to shorten it. Tuesday’s stage was the first half of a second marathon stage where riders stayed overnight in an isolated bivouac with not contact and no assistance from their teams.

American rider Ricky Brabec was awarded second place in the stage 12 minutes 29 behind the winner. Price’s teammate Antoine Meo was third. Slovak KTM rider Stefan Svitko moved to fourth place after a one-minute penalty. Cutting the stage short also changed the character of the race and in effect reinstated Price’s main opponent, Paolo Goncalves. He had suffered mechanical problems but as this happened after the deemed final race distance he stays in the competition. Although organizers cut the original timed special distance, riders agreed that it had been a very tough stage.

Price admitted that he had made some small mistakes around the 100km mark but eventually located the waypoint and bot back on track. “Other than that, we've had a fairly decent day, a fairly solid day. It was just good that we didn't get lost. It was definitely tricky navigation today. I still feel solid, I still feel really good. It's definitely hot right now at the moment, but we'll suit up again, get going, get some air flowing and it shouldn't be too bad. It's been a good day.” In fact Price had a significant lead when the stage was shortened and covered the whole distance. “It's job done today, but everyone's got lucky since we've stopped at CP1 and CP2. The bike seems really good, really strong and still going really well. The mechanics have done a really good job over the lead-up to the race and during the event. I think we're cruising along alright.”

Antoine Meo of France also underlined that it had been a hard day, including taking a tumble after getting a piece of tree in the wheel. “I was passing Farres, but that (the crash) set me back again. In the second part, I did very well on the navigation, so I was very happy. I passed Farres and Helder (Rodrigues). I was just behind Benavides, so it was quite good. But they stopped the stage early because it was very hot. I'm still in one piece and the bike is okay, so I'm hoping for better tomorrow. I think in the Dakar you also need to be lucky. At the moment, I'm lucky. The bike is working well and still in one piece so that's important”.

Speaking later Alex Doringer, KTM's team manager said: “Today the temperature was very hot. The race started very well for Toby because he had a very good pace and a very good rhythm. He was also awesome with the navigation so he finished with a big gap in front of Svitko, but finally the conclusion was that they had to stop the race after CP2 because many of the riders were dehydrated and the helicopter could not manage the race. The decision was to cut the race at CP2 for some of the riders and take into account the final results of those that finished the race. All riders who finished at CP2 were given the time of the slowest of these 12 riders.

Tuesday’s stage was always going to be a difficult one, and probably the most physically strenuous given that there was hard off-piste track dotted with vegetation. Navigation was tougher and the extreme heat was also pre-programmed. Because the stage was prematurely stopped, final times may be adjusted overnight.

KTM factory rider Laia Sanz of Spain rose to the occasion to finish in 14th position in the stage but it was another difficult day for Red Bull KTM factory teammate Jordi Viladoms, who is still battling to recover from a fever in the first week. Viladoms is presently 29th overall.

There will be a special start to Wednesday’s stage with the ten fastest riders and cars beginning the stage from the CP 2 of Tuesday’s stage. They have a difficult ride in the notorious Fiambalá dunes and this stage has been considered as one of the most critical and decisive sections of this year’s race. All being well, this could also be the right territory for Price, who at home in Australia, has a formidable record of wins in the country’s desert classics.

Price takes another victory in Dakar Rally Stage Eight

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price on Monday resumed his Dakar Rally challenge in Argentina with another stage win as riders set out on the second half of this 9,000km epic. It was the Australian’s fourth stage victory so far in this edition and he now assumes the overall lead by a narrow two minutes 05 seconds margin over Portugal’s Paolo Goncalves.

Price’s win came immediately after the one rest day in Salta, but there are still many kilometers left to ride and race officials have promised difficult conditions and challenging navigation, particularly in the second half of the rally. He finished the stage in four hours 33 minutes and 14 seconds, giving him a five-minute 17-seconds lead over Goncalves. The stage went from Salta to Belén and gave riders the opportunity to test their skills in the sand dunes. Pablo Quintanilla was third, some six minutes 32 behind Price.

Price: “The first part started out on big open roads and I think we dropped a little bit of time there. But just getting through it was a pretty fast track so we were looking forward to the second part where it was going to get more technical and more difficult. We did pretty well in the sand dunes and we pushed through the navigation.”
The Australian cautiously confirmed that he was getting more comfortable and more confident with the navigation but underlined that there was still a long way to go to the finish at Rosario.
Holding at fourth place in the stage and now third in the overall standings is Slovak KTM rider Stefan Svitko, who is contesting his seventh Dakar and is aiming to improve on his overall fifth place last year.
It was also a good day for Price’s KTM factory teammate Antoine Meo of France, the winner of stage seven and the team rookie. Meo rose to the challenge of a difficult stage and finished eighth just under 11 minutes behind the leading time. He is now sixth overall.

Meo said he had been quite nervous to have the responsibility of opening the stage for the first time. “At first it was it was quite fast and I didn’t lose a lot of time, only about 35 seconds. In the second part I slowed down and tried to do good navigation and that was pretty good because I didn’t make a mistake. I’m learning a lot, I have to improve and keep going.”
Fellow KTM factory teammates and Spaniards Jordi Viladoms and Laia Sanz finished the stage in 17th and 18th place. Viladoms who fought off a fever last week said it had been a good day and a nice stage. “At the beginning I was trying to push but it is not possible to recover energy in just one day. I’m getting better but I need more time, and at the end I slowed down. There was soft sand and camel grass so it was difficult to ride.”

Sanz also said she was not in the best form on Monday: “It was not my best. When you don’t feel so good its better not to push because you can make mistakes and crash. But I’m happy I’m here, I didn’t miss any waypoints and I didn’t make mistakes. I slowed down, especially in the last part but the navigation was not so difficult and I hope tomorrow is going to be better.” Sanz is now overall 14th and Viladoms is 15th .

On Tuesday riders face another challenge, the first part of a second marathon stage where they must preserve energy, machinery and tires to last overnight and through to the end of Wednesday’s stage. They will overnight in an isolated bivouac without assistance from their teams. Organizers have promised significant challenges including almost all off-piste riding in vegetation-scattered dunes and on harder surfaces.

Stage 8: Salta – Belén
Total distance 766km: timed special 393km

Dakar 2016 halfway mark: Red Bull KTM wins four of the first seven stages

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team has closed out the first week of the 2016 Dakar Rally with a win in stage seven, this time thanks to the team’s rookie Antoine Meo of France. Teammate Toby Price, who has won three stages so far, finished in fifth place just over four minutes off the pace. At the halfway mark of the competition the KTM factory team has won four of the six stages run so far.

Bad weather forced cancellation of the opening stage and also disrupted Saturday’s stage as the El Niño effect continues to register its presence. Storms, heavy rain and local flooding brought Saturday’s timed special to a premature halt at the 300k mark of the planned 353km.

With flooded roads making driving to Salta difficult, and with final times uncertain after several riders stopped to offer assistance to Red Bull KTM’s injured rider Matthias Walkner, the final results and standings only became clear on Sunday. As the rally has now returned to Argentina, teams spend the one rest day at Salta on Sunday.

While Price and the emerging Meo have produced highlights for the team, it was a big blow to lose the services of the talented young Austrian Walkner, who was in the running for a top finish in this year’s edition. Walkner, the 2015 FIM World Cross-countries Rally champion, was in third overall after the sixth stage but crashed just 15 km from the start and sustained a broken femur, ending his bid for this year’s title.

At the end of the first half of the rally Price is in second overall behind Paolo Goncalves of Portugal, but is only 3 minutes 12 seconds behind. Meanwhile, having come out of the high altitudes of Bolivia, Meo, now sixth overall, said he felt much better during Saturday’s stage. “I'm discovering the Dakar,” he said “It's still hard to judge. I wanted to be in the top 10 and, so far, it's even better. I try to be consistent and not to get too tired.”

Drawing a line under his stage seven ride and his performance so far Price said: “I'm happy with my performance. You must never drop your guard. It's the best way to make mistakes. I'm happy with the work we've done so far. It's far from over, a mechanical or a navigational mistake can destroy everything. My aim is to finish the race and get a podium spot. We had a good first week, no significant mistakes. Our objective was to get to the rest day in a good position."

The factory team’s Laia Sanz was 19th in the stage but only one minute off ninth place and continues to deliver strong performances. She wraps up her first week in overall 15th place. Teammate Jordi Viladoms is in seventeenth overall but he has been laboring under the affects of a fever for the first half of the race.

Riders have predicted that the nature of the rally will change dramatically in the remaining stage that take them back to the finish in Buenos Aires on January 16 and many expect much trickier conditions and bigger gaps in finishing times.

Commenting on the first half of the rally, KTM factory team manager Alex Doringer said: “The past week of the Dakar had ups and downs. A lot of ups with stage wins from Toby (Price) and another from Antoine (Meo), and with the performance of our other riders. The downs of course are the riders that are not racing any more. Unfortunately Matthias (Walkner) stopped when he was in a very good position and his crash was very disappointing for all of us. It’s a bad moment when someone gets injured. Matthias put in a lot of effort to succeed in this race, even though we know this is part of the game. I believe he will come back stronger than he left the Dakar 2016, and we all wish him all the best.”

Speaking of Walkner’s accident, Doringer said it had happened in the early part of the day when the sun was low in the sky and visibility was very poor for the riders. The Austrian rider was later transported to a hospital in La Paz. Doringer reported that the surgery in his broken femur leg had been successful. “The surgery went well. Some 22 hours after the operation he will be able to fly home.”

Speaking of the team’s strategy for the second week of competition the team manager commented: “We work day by day. Of course we focus on our advance thinking but something can happen every day. Our main goal is that our riders have to look after their energy levels and of course that they can look after the bikes so they stay together.”

Stage 7: Uyuni – Salta
Total distance 793km: timed special 353km (cut short because of storms)
Revised results as a result of overnight adjustments in times and penalties

Third stage win for Red Bull KTM’s Price at Dakar 2016

Australia desert racer Toby Price of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team on Friday won his third stage in the 2016 Dakar Rally and moves within 35 seconds of current overall leader Paolo Goncalves of Portugal. Price has now won three of the six stages, with another seven still on the program.

Factory teammate Matthias Walkner of Austria was second in the stage, finishing only one minute five seconds behind Price, who completed the 542km timed special in five hours 51 minutes 48 seconds. The total stage distance was 723km, the longest so far in this edition. Current overall leader Goncalves was third in the stage.

Friday’s stage took riders in a loop from and to Uyuni (Bolivia), which also skirted along the western side of the famed Uyuni saltpans. Plans to send riders across the saltpans had to be changed because of rain in the region. Price, as winner of stage five was the first rider out and was consistently up front in the special.

Price: “It was a good day, a long day on the bike but we got through the stage really well. We slowed down at the times we had to navigate, and that’s the first time I’ve led from start to finish. We’re sitting in a good position and it’s a good fight.” Asked how he was coping with the altitudes he said: “It takes a bit of power out of the bike (because of the thinner air) but it’s the same with everyone’s, also with the cars. But for me, I’m doing well with the altitude, and the body’s holding up well. Also the bike. We’re looking after it pretty well and we’re keen, so I’m looking forward to the second week.”

Teammate Walkner was also a challenger throughout the special and rode very close to Price in the closing stages. Both riders made their Dakar debuts with KTM in 2015. Other riders in the KTM factory team were Jordi Viladoms in tenth place, Antoine Meo in thirteenth and Laia Sanz in fifteenth.

Walkner: “At the beginning it wasn’t perfect. I was in the dust of two riders for 160km. Then I was able to pass them and I found a super rhythm. It was a very tough, long stage, particularly the last 50-80km, also because we were at a very high altitude. But in the end it was a super day for me.”

Speaking after the stage Meo said he had made a mistake at the beginning of the day that had cost him about six minutes. He also discovered the dreaded fesh-fesh, the very soft dust that looks deceptively like solid ground. “I didn’t know what it was before, but I do now,” he remarked with some irony. “After that mistake it was all good, but I was riding behind Matthias (Walkner) and the speed was a little too fast for me because it was tricky and dangerous, so I slowed down a bit. I’m happy with the stage.”

Jordi Viladoms: “It was the longest stage but the kind I like. That’s why my results was better, because normally the Dakar is these kind of stages. My energy has been a bit down these last days but I think I went well until the second refuelling, and tenth position was better than before. I hope to recover the energy a bit and I think the second week will be much better for me."

Sanz said it had been a good stage but very long. ‘But you had to focus all the time because there was a lot of danger. Also with the altitude it becomes more physical. I started really well and I passed 2-3 riders but then I was in the dust for 300km. Then at the end I started to feel a bit tired so I slowed down a bit because it was better to get to the finish with no problems and no crashes.” Sanz said she expected the nature of the rally to change a lot in the second week. “There will be big differences in the times. I think then the race will really start,” she added.

Stage seven is another long day with a total of 793km and 353km under the clock. Riders leave Uyuni, where they have had a rapturous welcome from the Bolivian fans, and return to Argentina to finish at the city of Salta. They will face a number of river crossings made more difficult because of the amount of rain that has been falling recently. Sunday is the one rest day on this epic 9,000 km journey, a chance for teams to service machinery and for riders to draw a resume of their race performance so far.

Stage 6: Uyuni – Uyuni
Total distance 723km: timed special542km

KTM’s Price takes his second stage victory in Dakar Rally 2016

Red Bull KTM factory rider Toby Price was in form on Thursday to take his second Dakar Rally stage win in the current edition as this offroad epic crossed from Argentina into Bolivia. The Australian rider competed the stage, which was also characterized by a climb to 4600 meters altitude, in four hours three minutes and 44 seconds. He moved from seventh in the overall rankings up to third and is now just one minute 47 seconds behind the leader.

It was a good day for KTM riders and Price was the first of four fastest to reach the finish at Uyuni to also safely wrap up the second half of the marathon stage. KTM factory teammate and Dakar Rookie Antoine Meo was second in the stage and is looking increasingly comfortable after his switch from world-class enduro racing to rally raid. Stefan Svitko of Slovakia was third on his KTM, and factory rider Matthias Walkner finished fourth. The team’s other two riders, Jordi Viladoms and Laia Sanz finished 15th and 20th

Price was on the pace on Thursday, clocking the fastest time throughout the 328km timed special. Speaking about the two-day long marathon stage he commented: “They were long stages and I had to look after the bike and make sure we made no mistakes, and also look after the tires. Yesterday we were back a little bit but we still made some good times. Today was a stage win and we’re back in contention again and hopefully we can get a good day in tomorrow. Today was really fast tracks but the bike is holding up well. The special went from wide open to tight technical and I had to adjust to that. Now I have to maintain a good position each day.” Price also confirmed that he had no problems with the altitude, which has proved difficult for some riders.

Meo too was satisfied with his ride: “I’m quite happy with my riding style and yesterday I tried to stay careful, to look after the bike and not damage anything. I did have a little crash in the first half of the marathon stage yesterday and the tire was very slippery on the back. Today my front fork was leaking so I had no front brakes but I told myself it doesn’t matter. I rode quite well. I didn’t do anything crazy and I stayed on two wheels. It was a great day and I’m very happy.”

Summing up his two-day marathon stage, Walkner said: “Yesterday was flat out on the straight. I didn’t go too fast because I wanted to save the tire but in the end it was wrong to do this because they were holding up and I lost some time. Today I pushed as much as I could. I made some small mistakes with the navigation because it was trickier than on the other days. In the end it was pretty good and tomorrow I start out at fourth. It was a really cool day.”

The stage was a total of 642km with more difficult navigation on the way from Jujuy into Uyuni. The climb to 4,600 meters at the end of the special was the highest point so far in a Dakar Rally.

Friday’s Stage 6 is a loop around Uyuni, but it is also the longest timed special of this year’s edition over a total distance of 723km, including 542 km under the clock. Altitude may also create problems as the ride is between 3,500 and 4,200 meters and organizers have promised a constant change of pace and terrain.

There are two more stages before the rest day on Sunday.

Newcomer Meo fastest Red Bull KTM Factory rider in Dakar Stage 3

Newcomer Meo fastest Red Bull KTM Factory rider in Dakar Stage 3
Red Bull KTM’s Antoine Meo on Tuesday continued to discover his taste for rally raid when he was the fastest KTM factory rider over a shortened third stage of the Dakar Rally. Spain’s Joan Barreda eventually won the stage, which took riders a total distance of 663km from Termas de Río Hondo to San Salvadore de Jujuy.

Meo crossed the line in fourth place ahead of KTM rider Stefan Svitko of Slovakia and improved his position in the overall standings by moving up to 13th place. The French rider who came into the team as an enduro world champion, started his day well after been given back time lost on Monday when he stopped to assist an injured rider. He was the 15th starter in stage three and managed to get out of the dust by the 20km mark.

Meo: “After that I pushed harder and it was good for me. I didn’t want to start first tomorrow because I’m not ready to open a hard stage so fourth place is not too bad. Also it will be a difficult stage. I will try to learn more about the rally and also to understand the marathon stage. I need to use the tire better and stay safe.”

Teammate Matthias Walkner finished tenth in the stage that was originally to be 314km but was cut down to under 200km because of the continued difficult weather conditions. The Austrian rider is now sixth overall but only one minute 47 off the leading time.

Walkner: “Today was quite good, not so much navigation and I tried to do the same as yesterday and go at maybe 95% to find a good rhythm. I think tomorrow the navigation is going to get tougher and we have a long, more than 400km special ahead of us. The top six are within two minutes of each other so this is where it really begins.”

Despite a small crash at the beginning of the special, KTM Factory rider Laia Sanz put in another good day to finish in 21st and now has the same position in the overall standings. She was four minutes 34 off the fastest time and has a 13.04 deficit overall, one minute of which was a penalty from Stage Two.

Sanz: ‘I lost a lot of time but everyone is so close, there are 10 riders within two minutes. I think I am doing a good job and the next stages will have more things to open the race. I hope to have no problems in tomorrow’s marathon stage, I have to be smart and hope nothing happens.”

Team veteran Jordi Viladoms finished six minutes off the pace in 29th place but admitted that fast stages with little navigation were not his strongest.

Viladoms: “At the moment it’s zero navigation and I’m just trying to get a good rhythm and try not to lose too much time. I’m not so good in these kind of stages so I need to be patient and wait for the more difficult ones.”

But it was Monday’s stage winner Toby Price who was the unluckiest of the team on Tuesday after he got into difficulties with his GPS in the opening part of the timed special. Things went well for the Australian rider after that until he ran into some problems with cars, spectators and animals on the track. “That killed the confidence a bit so I backed it off because I didn’t want to cartwheel or hit anything. But it’s a long race and today cost me a bit of time but I’m still in a good overall position and I’m happy about that. We’re still good and we’ll sort it out tomorrow.” Price is now 10th overall.

Wednesday’s opening stage of the marathon where riders are not allowed any assistance from mechanics and teams is a loop around San Salvadore de Jujuy over another long distance of a total of 629km. Assuming the tricky weather allows it, the stage will include a timed special of 429km. Riders will also be competing in an average altitude of 3500m. There will also be a lot of changes of pace so plenty of new challenges for this year’s title contenders.

www.dakar.com 

Stage 3 Results
Termas de Río Hondo to San Salvadore de Jujuy.
Total distance 663km; shortened timed special of just under 200m

Red Bull KTM’s Price kicks off Dakar bid with Stage 2 win

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price of Australia opened his bid for the 2016 Dakar Rally with a narrow win in Stage 2 when competition finally got underway on Monday. Price won the stage by just 20 seconds from Ruben Faria of Portugal. KTM rider Stefan Svitko of Slovakia finished third, trailing the leader by 1 minute 28 seconds. Price, Faria and Svitko are also now the top three in the overall standings (Prologue plus Stage 2).

On Monday race officials trimmed the timed special from 450km to 354km because track conditions had deteriorated after Sunday’s thunderstorms that resulted in the cancellation of Stage 1. The second stage was almost 800km in total and took riders from Villa Carlos Paz to Termas de Río Hondo, mostly through undulating terrain at speed.

Price said it has been a clean stage and he was happy to be in a good position for Tuesday’s competition. “It was a long day in the saddle but for sure it's started well for us. Today was really easy navigation and we had a few tracks we could see, plus the route was pretty well marked.” But the Australian cautioned that there was a long way to go as Stage 2 was effectively to first day of competition following Sunday’s cancelation. “You've got to have a perfect race go your way for the two weeks. Realistically it's day one, so we've got a long way to go. We've just got to make sure we keep cool, calm and collected. It's good to get one stage win out of the way, but we're looking forward to being smooth and consistent the rest of the week and see how we go.”

Price’s Red Bull KTM factory teammate Matthias Walkner of Austria finished fifth but is very much in the running with just a two-minute deficit. Price who was third in 2015 in his debut Dakar and Walkner, who is coming off an excellent season, have both been mentioned as possible favorites for this edition.

Walkner was very satisfied with his result, saying: “Today there was really no navigation. It was pretty flat and slippery but a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. There was good grip and just one or two places where it was muddy I had to be a bit careful. But it was perfect to ride.”

KTM Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz made a strong comeback on Monday to finish 14th overall and was just over seven minutes behind Price after a difficult river crossing in Saturday’s prologue cost her some time. She is now 19th in the overall standings and has a 10-minute 34-second deficit. Commenting on her ride, Sanz said: “I am so happy with today. Now everybody is in the race and I couldn’t imagine being in the top 20 in the first real stage. I think it was a really good day and special because I didn’t take any risks. I was just riding, and doing everything well. In some parts the stage was very straight and full gas. Others were more like world rally car tracks and a lot of fun.”

Red Bull KTM’s Dakar veteran Jordi Viladoms wrapped up his day in 26th place and will be concentrating on trimming down the 12 minutes 47 seconds to the leader. He said he had experienced some small problems in the muddy section but still felt confident and was working on finding his rhythm for the long ride ahead.

Dakar Rookie Antoine Meo, who shared Sanz’s problems at the river crossing on Saturday, is 33 minutes 05 seconds behind but was held up after stopping to assist another rider who had crashed in front of him. “It was quite bad so I stopped to wait with him,” he said. “When I restated there was a lot of dust and I just tried to do my best and not make a mistake and crash. I pushed until the end and I think I had a good stage.”

Stage 3 on Tuesday takes riders from Termas de Río Hondo to San Salvadore de Jujuy. Out of a total distance of 663km, they will ride under the clock for 314km. The timed special will include tight mountain tracks that require maximum concentration and organizers warn that if there is more rain the ground will be heavy.

www.dakar.com