DAKAR, STAGE 2: PRICE BACK ON TOP

Toby Price (AUS) of Red Bull KTM Factory Team races during stage 02 of Rally Dakar 2017 from Resistencia to Tucuman, Argentina on January 3, 2017

Stage two of the 2017 Dakar Rally was long and hazardous, but last year’s winner, Toby Price of the Red Bull KTM team wasn’t intimidated. He won the stage by an impressive margin, taking the overall lead as well. His average speed in the special was over 110 kpm, and most of the other top riders choose to let Price go rather than risk disaster on a course that had livestock and other obstacles. “I tried to push it a little today because I wanted to lead out the stage tomorrow,” said Price. “I’ve still got a long way to go, so I’ll just try to look around and minimize mistakes.”

Paulo Goncalves of the Monster Energy Honda team was the only rider to stay within four minutes of Price, while his teammate Ricky Brabec was seventh on the day. “I think that today was maybe the fastest day of the Dakar,” siad Brabec. “We really couldn’t go much faster than we went today. It’s crazy, it’s so hot outside and we are trying to save our machines but we are also trying to push them. You don’t want to blow your wheels up and get stuck out there with the cows. I was trying to hit all the mud holes to get cooler water onto the wheels. I got to the finish line safe, rode well and hit all the notes. So, I’m already to go again tomorrow. Tomorrow is 364 kilometres so it would be nice to just hang out and not navigate as much.”

Stage Two (Resistencia-San Miguel de Tucuman): 803km, 275 km Timed Special)

1. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 2:37.32 h

2. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, + 3.22 min

3. Paulo Goncalves (PRT), Honda, + 3.51

6. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, + 4.48

7 Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda + 5.40

Overall after Stage Two

1. Price, 3:07.17 h

2. Walkner, + 2.39 m

3. Goncalves, + 2.54

6. Ricky Brabec +4.28