Overview, Results Dakar Stage 12 (Friday) | Toby Leading Price

Dakar Race 2023 – Stage 12
Empty Quadrant Marathon – Shaybah

Pictures of Rally Zone

Stage 12 of the 2023 Dakar Grand Prix on Friday proved to be a great one for Monster Energy Honda’s José Ignacio Cornejo, taking the overall win, but again the Australian duo of Daniel Sanders and Toby Price took second and third place on their GASGAS and KTM machines, respectively.

Cornejo and Sanders are less than a minute apart, and Cornejo and Price are close to two minutes apart, with an exceptional 185-kilometer dune and fast sand track that is the second part of the marathon.

With just two races to go, the results put Toby Price in the top spot overall, now 28 years older than Skyler Howes.

Price Toby – P3

“The marathon went well. I have to admit, I didn’t sleep well yesterday, but I did my best on the dunes. I’m not sure about the result when I finished today, but it looks like I’m back at the top, leading the race. It’s a really close race right now and even the slightest problem can cost you the win. My plan is to keep pushing for the next two days and try to have fun.”

Chucky opened up nearly all of the specials, which left tire tracks in the dunes for his chasing rivals to chase, giving back more time for the leaders to hold onto second place. seven overall, but still need to find nearly 20 minutes in the remaining two legs to move in the lead, or about 17 minutes for third.

Daniel Sanders – P2

“Yeah, today was actually pretty good. It was an exciting period and from the very beginning I caught up with Luciano Benavides. I had a decent pace to go so I kept that pace and kept the stage open all day. I’m happy to finish today because it’s the second leg of the marathon and I’m looking forward to the last two days.”

José Ignacio Cornejo was man of the day in the second part of the marathon at the Empty Quarter, winning the race.

José Ignacio Cornejo – P1

“I had a good stage today, pretty solid. Feeling pretty good on my Honda CRF 450 Rally and trying to push as hard as I can. I had a lot of fun in the dunes. I won a stage and that was great, especially for my confidence. This did not affect the overall result as the distance between all the competitors was short, so I kept my eighth place. I will keep fighting for the next two days because this is Dakar and anything can happen. “both finished today because it’s the second leg of the marathon and I’m looking forward to the last two days.”

Scored for KTM 3-4-5 behind Price were Kevin Benavides and Matthias Walkner, 2m05 and 2m22 from the leader of the stage.

Matthias Walkner – P4

“It was a super beautiful stage today. Honestly, the sand dunes in Empty Quarter are really beautiful. It’s pretty intense, not too long, but with all the soft sand you have to push a lot and it’s still very tough. As we ride more here, it becomes easier to judge and read the terrain. Nacho (Cornejo) caught me today and it was fun walking through the dunes together. With now only two days to go until the rally, my goal is simply to have fun, do my best and get to the finish line safely. I plan to enjoy it!”

Kevin Benavides – P5

“Running a marathon went very well for me. Both halves are largely made up of sand dunes, so they are a real challenge but also fun to ride. Today I started backing a little further, so I managed to make my way through the dunes to make up the time without making any big mistakes. I think I did very well and I have a good starting position for tomorrow, which I think will be a really decisive stage in the race.”

Skyler Howes made another fun, calculated ride in Saudi Arabia to finish leg 12 in sixth place and mitigate his trailing lead over the interim rally leader

Skyler Howes – P6

“A good stage for me today. The Empty Quarter really lives up to its name – just an endless sea of ​​sand dunes. It’s been exciting going into the last few days with the race so close. Both half marathons went well – I think I was able to run both days at a steady and good pace. I was able to protect myself and the bike without any problems, which is extremely important. So now I’m heading towards the last two stages of the race. Both aren’t too long, so with things being so tight on the leaderboards, I really think this battle will run straight to the finish line.

Pablo Quintanilla is in seventh place with a distance of 03m06s.

Pablo Quintanilla – P7

“First, I would like to say that we finished the marathon without any problems on the Honda CRF 450 Rally. It was quite difficult to get through the Empty Quarter and we all succeeded. The terrain was extremely difficult for the machines and for us. Happy to end another day. The race is not over yet so stay focused.”

Sebastian Byhler is eighth, 3m08 behind the leader and just two seconds behind Quintanilla, with Adrien Van Beveren in ninth place eight seconds away.

Adrien Van Beveren – P9

“Today I started behind but didn’t have many dunes to race. The stage was shorter and I went as fast as I could. Dakar will never end until you cross the line, so let’s see what we can do. I’ll do my best until the last meter, that’s for sure!”

Ross Branch broke into the top 10 for the day, ahead of Tosha Shareina, while Husqvarna driver Luciano Benavides finished 12th.

Luciano Benavides – P12

“Yesterday was a great stage for me. Win my third stage at Dakar and I really had a lot of fun racing through the desert, jumping off all the dunes. Obviously I have to open today, but I’m really happy because I think I did a great job and didn’t take long overall. The stage was very similar to yesterday, I just had to be very careful not to make any navigation mistakes and I also had to focus on reading the terrain well. Now I’ll get a little rest before tomorrow where I’ve had another strong start, so another hit, and I hope to end the day on a solid footing.”

Ranked after Stage 12 of Dakar

Australia’s Toby Price currently leads the 2023 Dakar Rally after 12 races, trailing Skyler Howes by 28 seconds, with KTM teammate Kevin Benavides breaking into the top three (+2m40s).

Honda’s Pablo Quintanilla and Adrien Van Beveren are fourth and fifth, 15 and 16 minutes behind the leader overall, while Luciano Benavides and Daniel Sanders are just three seconds apart in sixth and seventh, 20 minutes behind. .

Jose Cornejo, Matthias Walkner and Mason Klein made the top 10, with Klein having a tough 12th leg.

Stage 13 Route

Only two more days until stage 13 tomorrow. There will be a very long 520 km link between Shaybah and Al-Hofuf. The special stretch will be 153 km long and starting from this Empty Quarter will certainly be decisive. This will be the last chance to surf on its chain of dunes and also to contend for the top spot. It will be a short but rather intense ride, where physical and mechanical endurance can play an important role.

Highlight video of stage 12

Dakar Rally Stage 12 Results 2023

Overall Dakar 2023 race after stage 12

Dakar race schedule 2023