TOBY PRICE REGAINS DAKAR RALLY LEAD WITH THIRD-PLACE RESULT ON STAGE 12
Dakar Rally 2023 – Stage 12
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price has retaken the lead of the 2023 Dakar Rally following a strong ride to third place on stage 12 – the second leg of the event’s Empty Quarter marathon stage. Kevin Benavides placed fifth to successfully retain his third-place position in the overall rally standings, less than three minutes behind Price. Completing today’s special just seconds ahead of Benavides, Matthias Walkner carved his way through to fourth place on his KTM 450 RALLY.
Completing the second leg of the marathon stage without issue, Toby Price covered the 185-kilometer timed special on stage 12 in just under two hours. More importantly, Toby not only made up time on his closest rivals in the race for victory, but he also regained the overall rally lead and will have two other riders to chase down on tomorrow’s penultimate stage 13.
Racing at the front of the field remains incredibly close with Toby leading the general rankings by a narrow margin of just under 30 seconds. The two-time Dakar champion will draw on all his experience and skill to ensure good, solid finishes over the final two stages of the race as he has his sights set firmly on securing his third title at the world’s toughest rally-raid.
Toby Price: “The marathon stage has gone well. I have to admit, I didn’t sleep that well yesterday, but I gave it my all out there on the dunes. I wasn’t sure of the result when I came in to the finish today, but it looks like I’m back on top, leading the race. It’s a really close race right now and even the smallest problem could cost you the win. My plan is to keep on pushing over the next two days and try and have some fun.”
Securing a solid fifth-place finish on stage 12, Kevin Benavides closed the gap slightly on the provisional rally lead and remains in third place overall, two minutes and 40 seconds down. The Argentine racer will also have the advantage of another four riders starting ahead of him on tomorrow’s special where he will aim to make up as much time as possible before then attacking the final stage of the race on Sunday.
Kevin Benavides: “The marathon stage went really well for me. Both halves were made up mostly of dunes, so they were a real challenge, but good fun to ride, too. Today I started a little further back, so I tried to keep a good flow through the dunes to make up some time without making any big mistakes. I think I did a good job, and I have got a good start position for tomorrow, which I think will be a really decisive stage in the race.”
Enjoying his time in the Empty Quarter dunes, Matthias Walkner found the terrain very much to his liking. And, feeling comfortable on his KTM 450 RALLY, was able to push hard through the stage to finish in an excellent fourth place. Currently in ninth position overall, although the fight for the podium might now be out of reach for the Austrian, Matthias will continue to fight for solid stage results, giving his all as usual on what is his ninth Dakar appearance.
Matthias Walkner: “It was a super-nice stage today. Honestly, the dunes here in the Empty Quarter are really, really nice. It was quite intense, not so long, but with all the soft sand you have to push a lot and it’s still very physical. As we ride more here it becomes easier to judge and read the terrain. Nacho (Cornejo) caught me today and it was such good fun riding through the dunes together. With only two days of the rally left now, my goal is to simply have fun, do my best, and reach the finish line safely. I plan to enjoy it!”
Stage 13, the penultimate of the rally, will see riders cover a total distance of 675 kilometers as they travel from Shaybah to Al Hofuf. A short timed special of 154 kilometers through the dunes will test competitors’ physical and mental endurance once again.
Provisional Results – 2023 Dakar Rally, Stage 12
1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHI), Honda, 1:57:27
2. Daniel Sanders (AUS), GASGAS, 1:58:16 +0:49
3. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 1:59:25 +1:58
4. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 1:59:32 +2:05
5. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 1:59:49 +2:22
Provisional Standings – 2023 Dakar Rally (after 12 of 14 stages)
1. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 40:47:36
2. Skyler Howes (USA), Husqvarna, 40:48:04 +0:28
3. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 40:50:16 +2:40
4. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 41:02:30 +14:54
5. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 41:03:50 +16:14
Other KTM
9. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 41:32:00 +44:24
10. Mason Klein (USA), KTM, 41:42:34 +54:58
More, from a press release issued by Husqvarna Factory Racing:
STRONG STAGE 12 FOR HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING RIDERS AT 2023 DAKAR RALLY
SKYLER HOWES BRINGS HIS FR 450 RALLY HOME IN AN EXCELLENT SIXTH POSITION WITH LUCIANO BENAVIDES OPENING THE SPECIAL TO PLACE 12TH
Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Skyler Howes and Luciano Benavides have safely completed the two-day marathon stage at the 2023 Dakar Rally. On stage 12 today, Skyler Howes finished as sixth quickest and now lies second in the overall standings – just 28 seconds off the lead after close to 41 hours of racing. Luciano Benavides opened the special today, a result of his stage win on day 11 – the Argentinian placed 12th and lies sixth overall going into the final two days of the race.
Despite the pressure of being well in the fight for victory at the 2023 Dakar Rally, Skyler Howes has delivered another cool, calculated ride in Saudi Arabia to complete stage 12 in sixth position and minimise his deficit to the provisional rally leader. His stand-out ride at this year’s event continues as the likeable American now lies in a strong second overall, and with his two closest rivals starting ahead of him on tomorrow’s stage 13, Skyler is perfectly placed to attack.
Also enjoying his time racing through the dunes of the Empty Quarter, Luciano Benavides did another stellar job opening the special today, following his win on stage 11. Benavides stayed focused throughout the 185 kilometres raced against the clock, to complete the stage as 12th fastest, a mere four minutes and 20 seconds down. An incredible performance by the number 77 who is on-course to equal or better his best ever Dakar result.
Skyler Howes: “A good stage for me today. The Empty Quarter really does live up to its name – just an endless sea of dunes. It’s really exciting to go into the last couple of days with the race so close. Both halves of the marathon stage went well – I think I was able to ride both days at a good, consistent pace. I was able to preserve myself and the bike without any issues, which is super important. So now I’m looking ahead at the last two stages of the race. Neither of them are very long, so with things so tight on the leaderboard, I really think this battle is going to run right up to the finish line.”
Luciano Benavides: “Yesterday was an amazing stage for me. My third stage win at the Dakar and I really had a lot of fun racing through the desert, jumping off all the dunes. Obviously today I had to open the stage, but I’m really happy as I think I did a good job and didn’t lose much time at all in the overall. The stage was very similar to yesterday, I just had to take extra care not to make any navigation mistakes and I had to focus on reading the terrain well, too. I’ll get a bit of rest now before tomorrow, where I’ve got another strong start position, so another push, and I hope to finish the day in a strong position.”
2023 Dakar Rally – Stage 12 Provisional Classification
1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) 1:57:27
2. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 1:58:16
3. Toby Price (KTM) 1:59:25
4. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 1:59:32
5. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 1:59:49
6. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 2:00:21
…
12. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 2:01:47
2023 Dakar – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 12]
1. Toby Price (KTM) 40:47:36
2. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 40:48:04
3. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 40:50:16
4. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 41:02:30
5. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) 41:03:50
6. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 41:07:36
More, from a press release issued by GASGAS Factory Racing:
RED BULL GASGAS FACTORY RACING’S DANIEL SANDERS DELIVERS INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE ON DAKAR RALLY STAGE 12
AUSSIE RALLY ACE DELIVERS MASTERCLASS IN NAVIGATION TO SECURE BACK-TO-BACK RUNNER-UP FINISHES AND COMPLETE THE MARATHON STAGE ON A HIGH
Delivering what just might be his best performance of the entire Dakar Rally on today’s stage 12, Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders combined pinpoint navigation with his blistering pace to post the second fastest time. Clocking in just 49 seconds from victory, it was an incredible performance considering that Chucky opened almost all of the special, which left wheel tracks in the dunes for his chasing rivals to follow. Impressive stuff indeed and a clear indication of just what the Aussie’s capable of out there in the desert. Nice work, Daniel!
Back-to-back runner-up stage finishes for Chucky
Sanders easily the star performer throughout the marathon stage
Only two days and 290 kilometers of racing against the clock to go!
Daniel Sanders: “Yeah, today was pretty good actually. It was a fun stage and early on I caught up with Luciano Benavides. I had a decent pace going so I kept that up and opened the stage all day. I’m happy to reach the finish line today with it being the second leg of the marathon stage and I’m looking forward to the final two days.”
Second away into leg two of the marathon stage, it should have been a tall order for Sanders to secure another top-three result as it’s quite common for leading riders to lose time to their competition. However, the RX 450F racer left that theory somewhere out there in the Empty Quarter on stage 12!
Moving past Luciano Benavides early on in the 185-kilometer special, our man from down under never let off the gas to safely reach the finish and narrowly miss out on another stage win. Heading into tomorrow’s penultimate stage 13, we’re excited to see what Daniel can do from the front again as the times at the top of the overall classification are starting to get tight!
Results (provisional): Dakar Rally 2023, stage 12
1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Honda) 1:57:27
2. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 1:58:16
3. Toby Price (KTM) 1:59:25
Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 12)
1. Toby Price (KTM) 40:47:36
2. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 40:48:04
3. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 40:50:16
7. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 41:07:39
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Honda Team:
STAGE WIN FOR NACHO CORNEJO
José Ignacio Cornejo was the man of the day during the second part of the marathon stage at the Empty Quarter. This was the second stage victory for Monster Energy Honda Team during this Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. On the arrival at Shaybah bivouac, the Chilean was 49 seconds faster than Daniel Sanders and had 1:48 minutes to Toby Price.
Stage number 12 was 185 km long and a quite fast route, in a mix between dunes and quick sand tracks. Pablo Quintanilla arrived in seventh position with a gap of 03:06 minutes, while Adrien Van Beveren was ninth with a gap of 03:16 minutes to Nacho. Quintanilla kept his fourth position in the overall standings (14:45 minutes to the leader), Van Beveren maintained his fifth position (16:14 minutes to the leader) and Nacho was still eighth (23:14 minutes to the leader).
Now it’s time to work hard on the Honda’s CRF 450 Rally, since they were lacking assistance for the past two days due to the rules of the marathon stage.
With only two more days to go, tomorrow it’s time for the 13th stage. There will be a very long liaison of 520 kilometers in the connection between Shaybah and Al-Hofuf. The special section will be 153 km long and this departure from the Empty Quarter will certainly be decisive. It will be the last chance to surf on its chain of dunes and also to fight for the top standings. It will be a short but quite intense ride where physical and mechanical endurance can play an important role.
Ruben Faria
General Manager
“The marathon stage is over and we have overcome with great determination the hard terrain at the Empty Quarter. All our riders got back safe and our Honda’s CRF 450 Rally also came back in great conditions and will now be revised for the penultimate stage. Days will get shorter in terms of racing as we reach the end of this Dakar Rally and tomorrow is another decisive day for us. We are fighting to climb in the top standings and that was clear today. Nacho had a great performance and we are happy with another stage win. The team is united and strong so let’s see how it goes in these last two days. ”
José Ignacio Cornejo 11
“Well today I had a good stage, quite solid. Felt quite good on my Honda CRF 450 Rally and tried to push as much as I could. I had a lot of fun in the dunes. I have won a stage and that feels good, especially for my confidence. This did not influence the overall results due to the short distances between all contenders, so I kept my eighth place. I will keep fighting in the last two days because this is Dakar and anything can happen. ”
Pablo Quintanilla 7
“First of all I would like to say that we have done the marathon stage without any problems in our Honda CRF 450 Rally. It was quite hard to cross the Empty Quarter and we all succeeded. The terrain was super hard for the machines and for us. Happy to finish one more day. The race is not over yet so let’s keep the focus.”
Adrien Van Beveren 42
“Today I started behind but did not have that much dunes to race. The stage was shorter and I went as fast as I could go. Dakar is never finished until you cross the line so let’s see what we can do. I will do my best until the last meter, that is for sure!”
