Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price has completed stage two at the 2024 Dakar Rally in seventh place and now lies eighth in the provisional overall standings. Teammate Kevin Benavides also showed good pace on today’s 463-kilometer timed special, but a small navigation error cost him some time, ultimately dropping him down to 19th.
Day two at the Dakar Rally challenged riders with another long day in the saddle. Covering a total distance of 654 kilometers from Al Henakiyah to Al Duwadimi, competitors raced for a grueling 463 kilometers against the clock over mixed terrain including fast, sandy tracks, rocky pistes, and a 30-kilometer section of dunes.
As the 16th rider to enter the special following his result from day one, Price pushed hard from the start while taking care not to make any mistakes on the technically demanding terrain. By kilometer 41, Toby was fifth-fastest on the timesheets, just 16 seconds down on the provisional leader. Maintaining his strong pace, the two-time Dakar winner remained inside the top 10, despite making a couple of small navigational errors over the course of the stage. With times across the final top 10 proving to be incredibly tight, Price ultimately completed the special in seventh, a mere two minutes from second place. Lying eighth overall in the standings, Toby will enjoy a strong start position going into Monday’s long, 733-kilometer stage three.
Toby Price: “Another long day today and this one was quite technical too with some tough navigation. The roadbook had a lot of close notes, and although I made a couple of small mistakes, I didn’t lose too much time. I’m trailing the leaders by a little bit, but it’s only day two here in the desert and there’s a long way to go. All in all, I’m fit, healthy, and kept the bike on two wheels today – so, feeling good and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Also making a solid start to the timed special on stage two, Kevin Benavides set off as the eighth rider from the gate and immediately started challenging for the top 10 on the timesheets. Fighting back from a small mistake early on, Benavides placed 11th at kilometer 274 and looked on target for a strong finish to the stage. Unfortunately, a navigational error cost the 2023 Dakar Rally Champion dearly and resulted in him losing around eight minutes to his rivals. Kevin was able to regain several positions over the final 100 kilometers to safely complete the stage in 19th place. Despite the setback, Benavides’ performance moves him up to 11th in the provisional overall standings.
Kevin Benavides: “Day two is done. It was a long stage and had some quite tricky navigation. I made one mistake, which cost me some minutes, but this is the Dakar and it’s always going to be a big challenge. I’m happy with my riding and feel good on the bike, I just need to refocus for tomorrow now and give it my best on day three.”
Provisional Results – 2024 Dakar Rally, Stage 2
1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 4:24:17
2. Luciano Benavides (ARG), Husqvarna, 4:30:16 +5:59
3. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Honda, 4:30:29 +6:12
4. Sebastian Buhler (GER), Hero, 4:31:04 +6:47
5. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 4:31:31 +7:14
Provisional Standings – 2024 Dakar Rally (after 2 of 12 stages)
1. Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 9:50:05
2. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 9:53:00 +2:55
3. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 9:57:20 +7:15
4. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Honda, 10:05:25 +15:20
5. Luciano Benavides (ARG), Husqvarna, 10:07:27 +17:22
- From KTM Factory Racing
