Toby Price leads by 28 seconds – can the Australian take 2023 Dakar Rally win heading into the final 2 Stages? Incredible as it seems, after racing 7,794.51kms in Stages 1 – 14 of which 4,010kms were timed, the top 3 rider’s of Bike GP classification rank Price 28 seconds from American Skyler Howes with KTM Red Bull Factory rider Kevin Benavides 2 minutes, 40 seconds after in 3rd.
For Toby, no pun intended, the price to pay for total victory racing Dakar Rally remains illusive to the best competitors, even when planned to deliver best performance on route fully supported by race Team over course of 15 days. From winning Prologue, through to consistent top 6 General ranking in Stages 1 – 14, peaking in Stage 12, Toby remains guarded on taking overall win in 2 days time.
Toby shares his thoughts after completing Stage 12 in the second day of the Marathon Stage: ‘The Empty Quarter has delivered what they said it was going to do. There was a lot of sand and a lot of nothing. I was just trying to keep a good smooth consistent pace and now it’s just two days to go, so that’s not long.
I just felt that I pushed where I was comfortable and it’s going to be what it’s going to be. At the end of the day, if it works out in my favour, that’s all well and good, if it doesn’t then I guess we’ll just wait and see what unfolds for the race’.
Neither overly optimistic, nor in fear of pressure to stay on top, the Australian rider allows all experience gained through-out his racing career to steer his responses ahead of make-it-or-break-it race scenario in final 2 legs of 2023 Dakar. One mistake, one moment loss of focus, one error in navigation and it can all go horribly wrong as Toby well knows.
Take a look at his career: debut professional racing in 2004 joining KTM in 2010 racing Australia’s Off-Road Championships. Toby made history winning Finke Desert Race in Bike category in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and in Car category in 2021 and 2022, along with winning Hattah Desert Race 5x. Price made debut entry in Dakar Rally in 2015, becoming the first Australian to win The Dakar in 2016 and again in 2019.
The victories were not smooth surfing of sand in Australia’s outback, nor within comfort zone racing the varied terrain of Dakar Rally’s 2nd Chapter in South America. Far from it. Toby encountered injuries, some would say too difficult to continue racing, for Price, crashes and racing are two parts of the same equation. How else would a rider continue to race 2019 Dakar Rally with broken wrist and mange to win, or how would an athlete summon enough courage to stop and aid fellow competitor Paulo Goncalves who had fatal crash in Dakar Rally 2020, to then collect thoughts to finish 3rd overall, dedicating overall podium to his lost friend.
If Toby has paid the ultimate sacrifice of learning tools to compete in the world’s most grueling of races, safe to say, his standings heading into Stage 13 Shaybah to Al-Hofuf will be protected by remaining true to his sense of racing abilities. As Toby states:
‘I think that trying to have a strategy for the race at this point in time is completely out of the window. I’ve just got to stay on two wheels and stay healthy. Tomorrow, I’ll try and push really hard, because on the last day it’s a reverse grid. We need to try and see if we can make some really good time tomorrow, but then again you don’t want to push too crazily and risk an injury or being out of the race completely this close to the finishing line. But other than that, the body feels good, the bike feels good. It’s been a long two weeks’.
Will Toby Price clinch his 3rd Dakar Rally win? Will the likeable rider rely on raw nerve to achieve what has alluded him and KTM for that matter since he last won in 2019? Time will tell in 2 days, steered by Toby Price flying the Australian flag all the way to the finish at Damam.
Dakar Rally 2023 Stage 13 Shaybah – Al-Hofuf total distance of 675kms with 154kms timed.
Header photo: Toby Price Dakar Rally 2023 Stage 12 Image: A.S.O/Red Bull Factory.
Words: Sharon Cox.
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