By Ian Chadband
Toby Price has lost valuable seconds to slip back to third place in the Dakar Rally but the Australian motorcycle endurance star is still right in the thick of the battle for a third crown with just four stages remaining.
A new leader emerged on Wednesday as Argentina’s 2021 champion Kevin Benavides leapfrogged both American Skyler Howes and Gold Coast-based Price after the 10th stage, a 624km desert trek from Haradh to Shaybah.
Toby Price in action during stage 10 of the Dakar Rally.Credit:AAP
After nearly 36 hours of racing in the most testing of conditions in Saudi Arabia, there is only 1 minute and 29 seconds between Husqvarna’s Benavides and Howes, with the Argentine’s Red Bull KTM colleague Price, the 2016 and 2019 winner, another 41 seconds adrift.
The 2:10 that separates the two KTM teammates is eminently recoverable for Price as the race gets closer to its finish on Sunday.
In comparison to the cars’ race, led in runaway fashion by Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah by more than one hour and 21 minutes, the motorbike contest is remarkably close with the top six riders separated by less than 16 minutes.
The experienced Price, 35, believes played it safe on Wednesday but likes his position in the race.
Toby Price won the Dakar bikes category in 2016 and 2019.
“It was a short stage. We just played it safe today. There was a lot of broken dunes and the sand was really soft,” he explained.
“All in all, I think so far the position was pretty good. Luciano [Benavides, brother of leader Kevin] opened the way and did a really good job. Hopefully a few people will get in the mix of it. We’ll try and get some gaps and see if it works.”
Price’s Australian pal Daniel Sanders, Red Bull GasGas’s early race leader, ended 23:40 down in ninth place overall on a day when Botswana’s Ross Branch, who trains in the Kalahari desert, won the stage for India’s Hero Motorsports.
Sebastien Loeb took his third stage win in a row, and a fourth in all in 2023, in the cars for the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team, even though Al-Attiyah’s Toyota Hilux continues to rule the dunes.
Spain’s three-time champion Carlos Sainz withdrew before the stage, his electric hybrid Audi severely damaged after rolling in Tuesday’s ninth stage.
Meanwhile, Czech driver Ales Loprais, who was leading the truck category, withdrew after an incident involving an Italian spectator who later died.
The accident occurred during Tuesday’s ninth stage but Loprais was unaware of it until after his arrival at the bivouac that night.
Organisers said he was devastated and supporting local authorities with their enquiry.
“As a result he could not continue the race. The rally organisers join him in offering their condolences to the family and friends of the spectator, Livio Sassinotti,” they said in a statement.
Loprais said on his Facebook page, which also showed video of the incident, that the 69-year-old man was taking photographs out of sight behind a dune.
“We had been already in bed but the Dakar stewards showed us video footage of an accident from the race that we hit a man by mistake,” he said.
“He was injured, he felt nauseous after two to three hours and he had a heart attack while being transported to the hospital. One human life has ended, indirectly my fault because I was driving.
“I have to admit that me and my crew didn’t know about it at all. We’ve got onboards and other videos that prove it but nothing changes that a human life ended … unfortunately he was standing under the dune and we didn’t see him at all.
“I’m very sorry and this accident will be with me for the rest of my life.”
AAP, Reuters
