After getting off to a safe start during Stage 1 on Monday, defending Dakar Rally Champion Toby Price roared to the front of the field from 17th place to win Stage 2 of the 2017 Dakar Rally and assume the overall lead today.
The Red Bull KTM rider from Australia took the lead by the first checkpoint along the 803-kilometer route through the Chaco Region from Resistencia in Paraguay to San Miguel de Tucuman in Argentina, and he posted the fastest time in the 275-kilometer timed special, 2 hours 37 minutes and 32 seconds, to seal his bid to claim the front early.
“It was a really, really fast stage but with no navigation,” Price said. “It was a really long day: we had a 274-kilometer special and we’re at 38 or 40°C right now, so it’s definitely been a hot one on the bike and part of the equipment, but we’re here at the end of day two. Another victory there; I can’t complain—it’s all gone alright. I had a quick look at the time on the thing, but I’m not too sure of the gap. It’s only early days so it’s just nice and smooth and consistent for the rest of the week and looking forward to pushing hard the second week.”
“It was really crazy,” Price added. “There were a lot of cows. It was really hard coming through all the dust there this morning. A couple of them caught me a bit by surprise. All in all, we’ve had a good stage and I can’t complain, and hopefully there’s more to come. You’re going along these roads that aren’t more than a car width’s wide, and if a cow steps out from behind one of the trees or the bushes it’s not going to be too pretty, but you’ve already got enough to do than think about that when you’re on the bike in the middle of the stage. But when you’re sitting here right now you just think that was really wild. All is good, and I’m ready to go for another day. We have more kangaroos back home than cows, but I’d rather pick on a kangaroo a little bit more than a cow, but all in all, I got through it.”
Monster Energy Honda’s Paulo Goncalves had a good day during Stage 2, coming in 3 minutes and 51 seconds behind Price to net second. That put the Portuguese rider and former FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion second overall as well. He now trails the reigning Dakar champ by 2 minutes and 54 seconds as the field is beginning to settle into the task at hand.
“We had a really quick part against the clock, filled with a lot of dangers such as animals crossing the track,” Goncalves said. “I’m pleased for the Monster Energy Honda Team. All the riders have arrived safe and in one piece, without having taken any risks; that is the important thing as the race has barely started.”
Determined to make up for the speeding penalty that he incurred in Stage 1, Viltais Racing Team HFP Yamaha rider Xavier de Soultrait finished third today, 4 minutes and 6 seconds behind Price.
Ricky Brabec, the sole American entrant in the 2017 Dakar Rally, had a relatively trouble-free ride in Stage 2, the Monster Energy Honda rider coming home seventh, behind Red Bull KTM’s Sam Sunderland, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Pablo Quintanilla and Slovnaft KTM’s Stefan Svitko. The finish slipped Brabec from second place overall to sixth place overall, but he remains in excellent shape, running just 4 minutes and 29 seconds out of the lead.
“I think that today was maybe the fastest day of the Dakar,” Brabec said. “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 kilometers, so it would be nice to just hang out and not navigate as much.”
Wednesday’s Stage 3 will again ratchet up the difficulty of the 2017 Dakar Rally, as the riders head north through the mountains to San Salvador de Jujuy, 780 kilometers away. The 364-kilometer timed special has been promised by race organizers to place a premium on navigation skills as the rally route climbs over 3500 meters above sea level.
2017 Dakar Rally
Resistencia, Paraguay, to San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina
Results: January 3, 2017 (Stage 2 of 12)
Stage 2
1. Toby Price (AUS)-Red Bull KTM/2 hours, 37 minutes, 32 seconds
2. Paulo Goncalves (POR)-Monster Energy Honda/+00:03:51
3. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA)-Viltais Racing Team HFP Yamaha/+00:04:06
4. Sam Sunderland (GBR)-Red Bull KTM/+00:04:19
5. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI)-Rockstar Energy Husqvarna/+00:04:48
6. Stefan Svitko (SLO)-Slovnaft Team KTM/+00:04:54
7. Ricky Brabec (USA)-Monster Energy Honda/+00:05:40
8. Joan Barreda (ESP)-Monster Energy Honda/+00:06:25
9. Gerard Farres (ESP)-Himoinsa Team KTM/+00:07:26
10. Rodney Faggotter (AUS)-Yamalube Yamaha/+00:07:50
2017 Dakar Rally Overall Standings (after 2 of 12 stages)
1. Toby Price (AUS)-Red Bull KTM/3 hours, 7 minutes, 17 seconds
2. Paulo Goncalves (POR)-Monster Energy Honda/+00:02:54
3. Sam Sunderland (GBR)-Red Bull KTM/+00:03:23
4. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA)-Viltais Racing Team HFP Yamaha/+00:03:41
5. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI)-Rockstar Energy Husqvarna/+00:04:26
6. Ricky Brabec (USA)-Monster Energy Honda/+00:04:29
7. Stefan Svitko (SLO)-Slovnaft Team KTM/+00:04:45
Your Privacy Choices