Fifth for Toby Price at Dakar Stage 2 | Sanders ninth

2023 Dakar Rally – Stage 2
Sea Camp – Alula

Riders faced a cold and wet liason of 159 km, before reaching the 430 km timed special for the day on Stage 2, with rocky tracks opening into short sections of dune in the latter half of the day, proving the ideal hunting ground for American Mason Klein.

Klein took the stage win despite a one-minute penalty, while Toby Price finished in fifth and Daniel Sanders ninth, ensuring both Aussies remain within the top five in the overall standings. The stage was expected to take four hours, however that ended up closer to five and a half in the tricky conditions.

It has been six years since a privateer last won a stage on the Dakar, back in 2016 when veteran Stefan Svitko did so, however Mason Klein at the tender age of 21 years, and only in his third day of racing in the Rally GP category achieved the feat.

Hero’s Sebastian Buhler crossed the finish line with in second, bagging the first-ever stage podium of his Dakar career, Skyler Howes pacing his Husqvarna and moving up from 24th at kilometre 104 to third place by the finish. Not far behind was Ross Branch in fourth.

As the fifth rider to enter the stage, Toby Price made a steady start to the timed special, taking his time to adjust to the intense terrain seen over the first few hundred kilometers. As the stage continued, Price’s stamina and consistency paid off, with the Aussie moving up as high as second place after 300 kilometers.

Easing off slightly to ensure a safe finish, the two-time Dakar champion placed fifth at the line, just over two minutes down on the leader.

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

Eighth-placed Kevin Benavides had the unenviable task of starting second into the stage, delivered a well-calculated ride, losing the minimum of time to the chasing pack.

Knowing the importance of posting consistent stage results every single day, Daniel Sanders upped his pace when he needed to, backing off near the end to bring his RX 450F home safe and sound in ninth.

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

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Sebastian Buhler – P2

“Today turned out to be a rewarding one. Yet it wasn’t really a fun day, as we were riding the entire day through rocks. I was able to find a good rhythm from the beginning, and that helped me push through. Before the second refueling I made a slight mistake that made me go back 2kms to validate a waypoint, and I lost some time there. Other than that, I’m very happy with my performance and the 2nd position I’ve earned.”

Skyler Howes – P3

“Today was super, super difficult in terms of being hard on the body, hard on the machine, and an incredibly long day. I was managing the day well, not pushing too hard and keeping a little in reserve for the coming days ahead. I was riding at a comfortable pace through the rock-strewn tracks early on, but when things opened up in the final 100 kilometres or so I put on a bit of a push because I thought I might well be behind by that point. As it happens, my pace was good, and I brought it home in third. There were no major mistakes on my end, just a couple of little moments, and the bike felt really good over all the different types of terrain. I’m starting third tomorrow, which isn’t ideal for the stage the organisers have promised, but I’ll do my best and aim to put in another solid day.”

Ross Branch – P4

“It was a long rocky section today, probably one of the longest such stages I’ve ever done at the Dakar. But the day was good for me. I wasn’t sure where we were lined the whole day, so the aim was to avoid any mistakes, navigation errors, and most of all, any crashes. I’m happy we’re in a good position for Stage 2, which is also going to be a long one, and I’m hoping for the best.”

Toby Price – P5

“That was a tough stage today. The organisers led us through a load of river beds and rocks pretty much the whole way. It’s definitely not easy, and to make it safely to the finish you really have to take things a little steadier and focus on staying smooth. The projected time was around four hours, but it’s taken us close to five and a half to get to the finish. Other than that, I’m happy with how I rode, I’m here in one piece and ready to fight again tomorrow.”

Kevin Benavides – P8

“This day was really hard. Possibly the hardest stage I’ve ridden in the last three years of Dakar. It was 430 kilometres, but almost six hours of riding through some very tough, rocky tracks. I set off second today and caught Ricky (Brabec) by around kilometre 120, after that we swapped positions at the front up to the final 100 kilometres or so when we were caught by another rider. It’s been exhausting, but I’m happy with my performance and the result after opening a lot of the way, so not a bad stage overall.”

Daniel Sanders – P9

“It was a big day today and definitely a long one! In the beginning I pushed hard to make up time and then settled into a decent rhythm. I think the stage win was there for the taking today but this is such a long race that it’s best to not lead out on a stage this early on, and so for tomorrow’s stage in the dunes I’ll now have a decent starting position. There will be a time or two when winning a stage or finishing up front to lead out the next day will be necessary, but today wasn’t it!”

Matthias Walkner – P10

“That was a super-long day today – riding all day through loose stones. It was so intense because you had to focus on the terrain the whole time, so that was tiring mentally as well and being physically stressful on your body and the bike. I’ll get some good rest now as we have an even longer day to race tomorrow.”

Luciano Benavides – P12

“It’s been a crazy day – super long and super tough – I don’t think I’ve ever felt so tired on the bike. What made it feel even longer is that I rode almost the entire day on my own, so it was difficult to judge how hard to push over all the rocks. At the end it worked out okay because I didn’t lose too much time on the leaders and I have a good start position for tomorrow, which could prove really important. The bike is good, my body is feeling good, I’m happy.”

Franco Caimi – P14

“It was a beautiful but really hard and long stage today. I spent over five hours on the bike, and it has been very demanding physically. But I felt better on the bike than yesterday, and I’m happy that we’re moving forward each day, improving in every stage. There’s still a long way to go, and I’m hopeful for the best.”

Tomorrow’s third stage of the 2023 Dakar Rally will leave the Alula bivouac in the direction of Ha’il. This special stage will have 447 kilometers, but the sandy and dirt road will be the main course for the day, with far less stones compared to Stage 2.

2023 Dakar Rally Stage 2 Results

2023 Dakar Rally Overall – After Stage 2

2023 Dakar Rally Schedule