Thursday for Toby Price at Dakar Phase 2 | Sanders Ninth

Dakar Race 2023 – Stage 2
Camping at sea – Alula

Riders face a cold and wet 159km, before reaching the specially timed 430km of the day in Stage 2, with stone trails opening to short stretches of dunes in the second half of the day, proving to be an ideal hunting ground for American Mason Klein.

Klein took the stage despite a minute-long penalty, while Toby Price finished fifth and Daniel Sanders ninth, ensuring both Australians were in the top five of the overall standings. The stage was expected to last four hours, however, that ended nearly five and a half hours in difficult conditions.

It’s been six years since a private won a stage on Dakar, back in 2016 when veteran Stefan Svitko did, however Mason Klein is a fledgling 21 and only on his third race day. his in the Rally GP category achieved the feat.

His hero Sebastian Buhler finished in second place, claiming the first podium of his Dakar career, Skyler Howes overtook his Husqvarna and rose from 24th in km. 104 to third place on the finish line. Not far behind is Ross Branch in fourth place.

As the fifth rider to enter the race, Toby Price made a steady start at the specially timed race, taking time to acclimate to the harsh terrain seen over the first few hundred kilometers. As the race progressed, Price’s fitness and consistency paid off, with the Australian rising to second place after 300km.

Slightly lighter to ensure a safe finish, the two-time Dakar champion finished fifth at the line, just over two minutes behind the leader.

Behind Price is Joan Barreda (Monster Energy JB Team) in sixth and Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco Factory) in seventh.

Eighth-placed Kevin Benavides has the daunting task of starting second on the leg, making a well-calculated ride, losing to the group that chases the least amount of time.

Knowing the importance of posting consistent stage results every day, Daniel Sanders sped up when needed, stepping back near the end to bring the RX 450F home safely in ninth place.

Following Stage 2, Klein now leads overall, ahead of Toby Price 1m41s, followed by Joan Barreda (+2m03s), Kevin Benavides (+2m25s) and Daniel Sanders (+2m55s).

Ricky Brabec, Skyler Howes, Pablo Quintanilla, Matthias Walkner and Sebastian Buhler made it to the top 10 and two races within nine minutes, separated from first to 12th.

Sebastian Buhler – P2

“Today turned out to be a rewarding day. It wasn’t really a fun day, though, as we rode all day through the rocks. I was able to find a good rhythm in the beginning and that got me through. Before my second refueling, I made a small mistake that caused me to step back 2 km to validate the waypoint and I lost some time there. Other than that, I’m very pleased with my performance and the 2nd place I won.”

Skyler Howes – P3

“Today was extremely difficult, extremely difficult for the body, the machines and an unbelievably long day. I managed a good day, didn’t push too hard and kept a little in reserve for the days to come. At the beginning, I went at a comfortable pace through the rocky roads, but when things opened up at about the last 100 km, I tried a little harder because I thought I might be lagging behind. later at that time. When that happened, my pace was good and I finished in third place. No big mistakes on my part, just a few small moments, and the bike is really good on all different types of terrain. I will start in third place tomorrow, which is not ideal for the stage that the organizers have promised, but I will do my best and aim to deliver another solid day of competition. .”

Ross Branch – P4

“Today it was a long, rocky stretch, probably one of the longest I’ve done in Dakar. But that day was good for me. I’m not sure where we lined up all day, so the aim was to avoid any mistakes, navigation errors, and most of all, any problems. I’m glad we’re in a good position for Phase 2, which is also going to be a long one and I hope for the best.”

Price Toby – P5

“It was a difficult period today. The organizers led us through a lot of river beds and rocks along the way. It’s certainly not easy, and to get to the finish line safely you really have to make things a little more consistent and focus on maintaining the fluency. Estimated time was about four hours, but it took us almost five and a half hours to get to the finish line. Other than that, I’m satisfied with the way I ride, I’m here intact and ready to fight again tomorrow.”

Kevin Benavides – P8

“Today is really difficult. Possibly the hardest I’ve driven in the last three years in Dakar. The distance is 430 kilometers, but the nearly six-hour drive through some very difficult and rocky trails. I started second today and caught up with Ricky (Brabec) at about 120km, then we swapped positions ahead until the last 100km or so when we were overtaken by another rider. It’s tiring, but I’m satisfied with my performance and the result after opening a lot of tracks, so overall a not bad stage.”

Daniel Sanders – P9

“Today is a big day and certainly a long day! At first, I tried my best to make up the time and then stabilize the rhythm. I think I’ve won the race for today but it’s a long race so it’s best not to take the lead this early, and so tomorrow in the dunes, I’ll now have a spot. good starting point. There’s going to be a stage or two winning a stage or getting to the finish early to take the lead the next day is necessary, but not today!”

Matthias Walkner – P10

“It was a super long day today – cycling all day over jagged rocks. It’s very stressful because you have to focus on the terrain the whole time, so it’s mentally tiring as well as physically stressful for your body and the bike. Now I will rest well because we have a longer day to race tomorrow.”

Luciano Benavides – P12

“What a crazy day – super long and super hard – I didn’t think I would ever feel so tired riding a bike. What makes it feel even longer is that I’ve been on my own for most of the day, so it’s hard to gauge how hard it is to get over all the rocks. It all worked out in the end because I didn’t spend too much time on the leads and I had a good starting position for tomorrow, which could be really important. The bike is good, my body feels good, I’m happy.”

Franco Caimi – P14

“It was a beautiful stage, but it was really difficult and long. I spent more than five hours on the bike and it was very physically demanding. But I feel better cycling than yesterday and I’m glad we’re moving forward every day, improving in every stage. There is still a long way to go and I hope for the best.”

The third leg of the Dakar Rally 2023 tomorrow will leave the Alula barracks towards Ha’il. This particular leg will be 447 km long, but the sand and dirt track will be the main part of the day, with much less rock than in Stage 2.

Dakar Rally Stage 2 results 2023

Overall Dakar Rally 2023 – After Stage 2

Dakar race schedule 2023