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RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING ENJOY PERFECT START TO 2018 ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE 1st Rd. Rally 2018 – Abu Dhabi (UAE) Following Saturday’s demonstration lap of the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, Sunday’s stage marked the first of five timed specials in the dunes to the south of the city. With no prologue to determine the start order, riders set off according to their final results from the 2017 world championship. Matthias Walkner was third away followed by Sam Sunderland in fifth and Toby Price a little further back, setting off 14th of the 26 riders. With a total of 418.38km covered on today’s stage, 276.01km were timed special. The first half of the stage proved to be faster and harder on tyres than anticipated and the three KTM riders were forced to swap wheels at the refuelling stop. The following half of the stage was made up of the soft sand characteristic of the area and the trio were able to push much harder and ultimately claim the top three positions on the day. Not having tested with the rest of the team in Morocco, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge marks the first time back on a KTM 450 RALLY since the Dakar for Toby Price. Starting further down the field, the Australian was able to maximise the advantage and eventually crossed the finish with a time close to three-minutes ahead of team-mate Sunderland. Toby Price: “The day was really good today. We had a little issue with the fast hard-packed piste at the beginning of the stage, the tyres got really warm and we had to change them at the fuel stop. After that it was just sand and then more sand. The bike performed perfectly, the team have done an excellent job preparing it for me, it’s handling beautifully in the dunes. I’m feeling comfortable even though it’s my first time back on a rally bike since Dakar. I’m looking forward to tomorrow now and seeing what the rest of the rally will bring.” A small mistake navigating around a herd of camels on the second half of the timed special may have cost Qatar resident Sam Sunderland a little time. But his pace in the dunes is always impressive and the Brit went on to claim a strong runner-up position. Sam Sunderland: “Today went ok, I am happy with second, just a couple of minutes down on Toby. I did make a mistake this morning with the tyre choice and lost some time at the refuel to change the wheel. I then pushed hard on the second part of the stage but at one point came across a lot of camels that were right on the piste. I went around them, but then lost more time trying to get back on track. We still have another four stages to ride so I’m looking forward to that.” 2018 Dakar Rally winner Matthias Walkner was third away at the beginning of the stage. With only two riders ahead of him to chase down, the Austrian kept to a fast but steady pace doing enough to finish the day third overall and putting him in a good position for Monday’s timed special. Matthias Walkner: “Today went well for me, especially as I was a little worried that I hadn’t had enough on-bike time since the Dakar. I also hurt my shoulder a little in testing and so didn’t want to risk too much on this first stage. To finish third after setting off near the front is better than I expected and puts me in an ok start position for tomorrow, chasing down Toby and Sam. The rally is quite a tough one as 90% of it is ridden in the sand, so I’ll keep on riding consistently and see where I am at the finish.” Stage two of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will cover 519.71km in total of which 281.38km will be timed special stage in the dunes of the United Arab Emirates. Provisional Results Stage One – 2018 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 1. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 3:13:00
There were mixed fortunes for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team on day three of the 2018 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The 287.92km timed special stage, the second of the rally, was again predominantly made up of the deep sand dunes of the Liwa Desert, south of the city of Abu Dhabi. The three-rider KTM team, having all placed in the top-three on stage one of the rally, were first away this morning. Toby Price was given the difficult task of opening the stage. Setting off third, Matthias Walkner made the most of his advantageous start position. The Austrian managed to catch team-mate Sunderland towards the end of the stage and the pair raced together to the finish. Crossing the line together, Walkner would ultimately place third, with Sunderland two places behind in fifth. Matthias Walkner: “That was another good day for me. My goal from the start was to catch the guys in front. I caught them quite late in the stage, which shows their pace, but the main thing was to gain those valuable minutes. I’m fourth overall now which is encouraging for the rest of this rally. My feeling on the bike is good and I’m starting to get more comfortable. I am really enjoying the rally, it’s been great so far and tomorrow I will do my best to move up the order a little more.” Securing fifth on today’s stage, Sam Sunderland retained his runner-up position in the provisional overall standings. Sam in now just over one-minute behind the leader, Pablo Quintanilla. The Brit will be the fifth rider away on Tuesday’s stage, giving him the perfect opportunity to chase down the competitors in front. Sam Sunderland: “Although the results don’t look that good on paper, this race is always strategic and whenever you start at the front, you lose time on riders behind you. I caught Toby quite early on and was able to push quite hard today. I was feeling great on the bike and keeping to a good pace. Normally the guys behind catch you quite fast, but today I wasn’t caught until the 240km marker – that is really encouraging and shows my speed on the stage. Tomorrow I will set off fifth and my plan is to push hard again and catch the guys in front.” After his win on Sunday’s stage, Toby Price was the first rider away from the line early this morning. With no tracks to follow, the 2016 Dakar Rally Champion had the difficult task of being the first to navigate the route and find his own way through the dunes. A crash caused an issue with the fuel line on Price’s KTM 450 RALLY. Despite the off, and taking some time to remedy the problem, the Australian managed to successfully complete the stage in 11th place and will aim to chase down the leaders tomorrow. Toby Price: “The morning went really well, opening the stage was tricky but I felt good and the bike was perfect. Sam caught me around the 65km mark and we rode together for a fair bit at a nice comfortable pace. Unfortunately, not so far after the refuel I had a crash – it was quite a big one but thankfully I wasn’t hurt. I had an issue then with the bash-plate on the bike. It had been bent back so it damaged the fuel line. I had no choice but to stop and fix it and ended up losing over 30 minutes. I am feeling a little stiff and sore now, but I’m ready for tomorrow. Hopefully I can claw some time back on the front-runners.” Stage three of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will cover a total of 372.55km, 281.38km of which will be timed special stage. The route will again be made up of 90% sand in the Liwa Desert. Provisional Results Stage Two – 2018 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 3:40:37 Provisional Standings – 2018 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge after 2 of 5 stages 1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 7:04:19
1st Rd. Rally 2018 – Abu Dhabi (UAE) Stage three of the 2018 Desert Challenge saw riders cover numerous large sand dunes in the Liwa Desert, just south of Abu Dhabi. Comprised of deep, soft sand and steep drop-offs, the first half of the stage rewarded careful navigation and the ability to read the terrain. The 281.38km timed special proved to be one of the toughest of the rally so far in the heat of the United Arab Emirates sun. Setting off fifth this morning, Sam Sunderland immediately pushed to catch the four riders in front of him. The Brit’s pace placed him first at every waypoint through the timed special and it wasn’t long until he caught the front-runners. After catching team-mate Matthias Walkner just after the refuelling stop, the pair raced on together ultimately claiming the top-two positions come the finish. Sunderland now leads the provisional overall standings by over seven minutes. Sam Sunderland: “That was another long, hot day in the sand for the bike and my body. I am feeling good though and I’m really happy to win the stage and put some time between myself and the others. My start position helped a lot today, I was able to push right from the start and chase down the guys in front. Obviously, it means I will be opening the stage tomorrow, but we still have two days of riding left. I’ll continue to push on and we’ll see what happens at the end of the rally.” Placing second today, 2018 Dakar Champion Matthias Walkner rode an excellent stage three. Maintaining a fast and consistent pace, the Austrian covered the 281km stage in just over three-an-a-half hours of riding – enough to move him up to second overall in the standings, over two-minutes ahead of third-placed Kevin Benavides. Matthias Walkner: “Today went well for me. The stage covered some deep sand and the speed through the dunes was not so fast so we chose a different tyre and it performed really well. I managed to find a good rhythm and was able to keep to that pace for most of the day. Sam caught me in the second half of the special so we ended up riding together and were able to push on a little more. We caught the other guys in front around kilometre 220 and so I’m really happy to take second position for the day. I have a little pain in my shoulder, but I’ll rest up now and then we will prepare for tomorrow.” Following his crash on yesterday’s stage two, Toby Price did his best to conserve energy today, whilst keeping to a good speed through the desert. His pace placed him within the top-five at many of the early waypoints. After stopping to help a fellow rider, the 2016 Desert Challenge winner eventually placed 11th, with the time lost being credited to him at the finish. Price now lies eighth in the overall standings. Toby Price: “The stage was good today, I got through the first half feeling really comfortable on the bike and setting a good pace through the steep dunes. I am suffering a little after the crash I had yesterday so I’m certainly not riding at 100%, but all-in-all things are going well. On the second half of the stage Balooshi had a crash in front of me and I stayed with him for a little while to assist. Luckily, he is going to be ok and is not too badly hurt. I’ll take the last two days as they come and just try to conserve myself and get to the finish so I can let my body recover.” Stage four of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will cover a total of 390.66km, 244.49km of which will be timed special stage. Provisional Results Stage Three – 2018 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 3:29:52 Provisional Standings – 2018 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge after 3 of 5 stages 1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 10:35:19
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WALKNER CLAIMS THIRD ON STAGE TWO OF 2018 ABU DHABI DESERT
CHALLENGE
SAM SUNDERLAND WINS DEMANDING STAGE THREE OF 2018 ABU DHABI
DESERT CHALLENGE
