The Price is right in the penultimate stage of the 2015 Dakar Rally!
The talent of ISDE gold medalist Toby Price has never been in doubt, but Price’s rookie debut in the 2015 Dakar Rally has been memorable, and during the rally’s penultimate stage in Argentina today, it went from memorable to special.
The Australian Price landed the first stage win of his career during Stage 12 from Termas de Rio Hondo to Rosario, solidifying his third place rank in the overall rally standings. With the win, Price joined Austria’s Matthias Walkner as a 2015 Dakar stage winner in his rookie year; Walkner withdrew from the event due to illness a couple days ago.
Price’s win should come as no surprise. He has finished fifth or better in seven of the 13 stages this year, and he is showing he speed and navigational skill that should secure him a position on a factory rally machine in 2016. He definitely took control of his destiny today, as led the way through every checkpoint along the 1024-kilometer route and finished the 298-kilometer special stage with a time of 3 hours, 19 minutes and 4 seconds. Price finished 1 minute and 55 seconds ahead of Team HRC Honda’s Joan Barreda, denying the Spaniard of pulling off another stage win in the 2015 Dakar Rally. Price’s win, combined with another off day by Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla, leave the Australian in excellent position to capture an overall podium position as a rookie.
“It’s my first go at the Dakar, but like we say, we’ve still got one day to go,” Price said. “Anything could happen, and at this stage everything is just feeling good. We’re enjoying it, so it’s been a good experience. There have been a lot of highs and lows and good learning curves as well as a few mistakes, but we’re trying to fix them as best as we can and get to the finishing line. Hopefully, that will happen tomorrow. I always knew it was going to be difficult, but you don’t know until you actually come here and have a go and then you actually find out how really hard it is. We were fairly well prepared coming into the event. We’re just going to come back next year hopefully, now that we know what we’re in for, and be an even bit better prepared again.”
Preparation is the main calling card of Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma, the man who is on the cusp of winning his fifth career rally and entering an elite club of back-to-back winners that include Cyril Neveu (1979, ’80 and ’86, ‘87), Gaston Rahier (1984, ’85), Stephane Peterhansel (1991, ’92, ’93 and ’97, ’98), Richard Sainct (1999, 2000), Fabio Meoni (2001, ’02) and Cyril Despres (2012, ’13). More or less gifted with a bonus time advantage when his closest rival, Paulo Goncalves, had to accept a 15-minute time penalty for changing engines prior to Stage 11, Coma was able to cruise during today’s lengthy stage, and although he finished sixth and did give some time back to Goncalves, third today, Coma enters the final stage with a 17 minute and 49-second lead.
“It was not an easy day with 300 kilometers today,” Coma said. “There was a lot to lose, and it was important to not make any mistakes or crash and just to arrive at the finish. To find the balance to ride like that is not easy, but I’m happy, you know, we are here.”
Coma said that tire wear forced him to because at the beginning of the special stage, but toward the end of it he was able to increase his pace.
“I’m happy because the day was a fantastic one for us,” Coma said. “It’s difficult to say at what percentage I’m riding, it depends. You always need to keep a little back in case of any surprises happening. We can’t say that we are untouchable, but when we have had a stage like that… It’s just one day until the end. I was a little worried about the tire today because the ground was very rough. I tried to save the tire at the beginning of the stage and then the last part was okay. So, it’s important that we are here. There is still one day left, but today was a very tricky day, so I’m very happy today. Now we can see that the end is close. There are still some kilometers left, but the end is getting closer now. The conditions are always very tough all the time. The young riders are pushing a lot, so I have to use my energy. We spend all year preparing to arrive here in a good shape, so it’s time to spend that energy.”
Gonçalves had a good day in Stage 12, but while anything can happen, the Portuguese rider’s nearly 18-minute overall time deficit means that it will be hard to put any pressure on Coma and challenge for the overall win with one stage remaining. Still, Goncalves isn’t conceding anything.
“The Dakar is not finished,” he said. “There’s still one day of racing left. I’m in second place, but there’s no guarantee that I’ll remain there. Anything can happen, either positively or negatively. But, effectively, I’m happy for myself and the entire Honda HRC team for the work we have done. Joan Barreda had a strong lead before the stage at the salt lake in Uyuni. He lost his place due to a problem caused by water in the engine. But we’ll finish the Dakar on the podium, and that’s a very good thing.”
KTM riders Ivan Jakes and Stefan Svitko had another good day in Stage 12, practically ensuring that the country of Slovakia will be able to celebrate two top-10 finishers in 2015. Jakes was fourth today and is ninth overall, while Svitko was fifth today and is fifth overall.
Team HRC Honda’s Laia Sanz recorded another top-10 stage victory, adding yet another hiighlight to her amazing run in the 2015 Dakar Rally. Sanz is in jeopardy of losing eighth overall to Jakes tomorrow, but a historic top-10 motorcycle finish by a female is all but assured.
2015 Dakar Rally
Stage 12
Termas de Rio Hondo-Rosario, Argentina
Results: January 16, 2015 (Stage 12 of 13)
1. Toby Price (AUS)-KTM/3 hours, 19 minutes, 4 seconds
2. Joan Barreda (ESP)-Hon/+00:01:55
3. Paulo Goncalves (PRT)-Hon/+00:03:02
4. Ivan Jakes (SVK)-KTM/+00:03:08
5. Stefan Svitko (SVK)-KTM/+00:05:01
6. Marc Coma (ESP)-KTM/+00:06:25
7. Helder Rodrigues (PRT)-Hon/+00:08:40
8. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL)-KTM/+00:10:07
9. Hans Verhoeven (NLD)-Yam/+00:10:51
10. Laia Sanz (ESP)-Hon/+00:12:42
2015 Dakar Rally Standings (After 12 of 13 rounds)
1. Marc Coma (ESP)-KTM/45 minutes 8 seconds, 32 seconds
2. Paulo Goncalves (PRT)-Hon/+00:17:49
3. Toby Price (AUS)-KTM/+00:25:18
4. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL)-KTM/+00:36:57
5. Stefan Svitko (SVK)-KTM/+00:46:43
6. Ruben Faria (PRT)-KTM/+00:40:00
7. David Casteu (FRA)-KTM/+01:55:09
8. Laia Sanz (ESP)-Hon/+02:19:37
9. Ivan Jakes (SVK)-KTM/+02:21:29
10. Olivier Pain (FRA)-Yam/+03:04:21
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