Toby Price is ready for Dakar 2023 campaign with KTM

Toby Price is ready for Dakar 2023 campaign with KTM

Australia’s Toby Price will return to Saudi Arabia to compete for the title at the 2023 Dakar Grand Prix, alongside teammates Matthias Walkner and Kevin Benavides, with the 14-stage event set to kick off on December 31.

The 2022 season has been disrupted both in terms of rescheduled events and injuries, however, the three-man Red Bull KTM team is now back and ready to race.

Toby Price had to go through a tough 2022 season seeing his potential thwarted by a road book problem at Dakar, followed by a crash in Morocco later in the year, causing him to retreat from the Rallye du Morocco while fighting for victory.

The experienced Australian tennis player knows that anything can happen during the rally and has set aside a difficult year to focus on Dakar. Satisfied with the development made to his KTM 450 RALLY machine during summer testing, and confident that the navigation-focused 2023 Dakar will fit his skill set, Toby is ready to go. ready to attack this terrible event.

Price Toby

“Dakar 2022 did not go as planned for me. I had a problem early on on the first day with a note in the route book and that made it really hard to get back into contention with previous runners for the rest of the event. I know my pace has been there, but the rally can be tough and sometimes things just don’t go your way. We had a big gap mid-year and tested that to good use with the team. I felt great in the Rallye du Morocco and my pace was good there, unfortunately an accident brought my race to an end. We’ve got some more testing to do right now in December before the Christmas break, but then we’ll be right back at the end of the year. I’ve been on the podium five times at Dakar and I know I have the pace to win – it just comes together and I’m sure I could be there to fight for another title.”

Matthias Walkner returned to the rally for the first time since the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, where he achieved a Dakar result in third place.

The Austrian driver underwent a necessary surgery because of a shoulder injury that had tormented him for some time. Now almost at 100% fitness, the 2018 Dakar winner will aim to claim a second title at the world’s toughest cross-country race.

Matthias Walkner

“I am really excited to be in my next Dakar Rally. It’s always been a big event for us and it’s the one you always want to win. With so many race days, over so many kilometers, this is definitely the toughest race on the calendar. It looks like the organizers have planned a particularly tough run for 2023, and with some rule changes in place, I think the race will present a great challenge. I’m still going through a year where I missed a lot of races after having shoulder surgery, so hopefully I don’t have any problems there. But of course the goal is to win. I know I have a great team around me and the bike is doing great right now – all the testing and development has really come together. Dakar always brings a few surprises, but I feel like I’m well prepared for this and I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Looking forward to racing the Dakar Rally for the second time with Red Bull KTM, Kevin Benavides is also focused on winning to reward all the hard work of the team.

The Argentine has had a solid 2022 season with records on the podium in Chile and at the World Championship finals in Spain.

With another year of experience accumulated while racing the KTM 450 RALLY, Benavides feels comfortable driving and with his teammates heading to Saudi Arabia confident and highly motivated to succeed.

Kevin Benavides

“The year 2022 has been really good for me and I am happy to bring this feeling into Dakar 2023. Although my final result was not good at the 2022 race, I know I have the pace to do well. than. Abu Dhabi also struggled with a technical problem near the end, but once again I made it into the top three for speed. After going through summer testing with the team, we made a lot of changes to the bike and they paid off with a championship at the Atacama Rally and a good result in Morocco. Finishing as runner-up at the final round of the year is great and really gives me confidence ahead of 2023. I’ve worked a lot with my coach throughout the year and feel prepared. be ready both physically and mentally before that time a long Dakar. I’m looking forward to that and hopefully can secure another result on the podium for myself and the team.”

The Dakar 2023 race begins on December 31, 2022 with a short Opening, followed by 14 tough races before the race ends on January 15, 2023.

Starting at Sea Camp on the Red Sea, competitors will pass through now familiar locations of AlUla, Ha’il and Riyadh, before staying for four days in the Empty Quarter. Finishing nearly 5,000 km spanning 14 stages, the 45th edition Dakar will reach the shores of the Arabian Gulf and finish on January 15, 2023 in Dammam.

Norbert Stadlbauer – Team Manager KTM Rally

“Our KTM riders can’t wait to race Dakar. Toby is healthy and full of confidence – he will no doubt aim to take home a third trophy at the 2023 event. Matthias has undergone a rigorous program of training and testing since being cured of his shoulder. . The new rules and long event will suit his style, I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can achieve at the race. In the end, Kevin had an excellent year and showed really good speed on the bike. He knows what it takes to win, so if everything goes right, he’ll definitely be there. Overall, we spent the whole year making a lot of improvements to the KTM 450 RALLY. Dakar 2023 looks like it will be more demanding than ever, but we are 100% ready to race!”

Dakar race schedule 2023