Daniel Sanders wins Dakar Stage 3 | Toby Price sixth

2023 Dakar Rally – Stage 3
Alula – Ha’il

Daniel Sanders has claimed his first stage win of the 2023 Dakar Rally for the Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing team, forging ahead in the sandy Stage 3 conditions, as well as claiming the overall lead from Mason Klein.

Tomorrow is when things might get interesting for the Aussie charger. As the first rider to enter stage four, he will be the first to carve a line through the rolling sand dunes, to the benefit of his chasing competitors. Given his confidence and precise navigating skills, Sanders is well placed to clock in with another solid result, however opening the stage is always a challenge.

Daniel Sanders – P1

“Yeah, that’ll do! It’s nice to get a stage win and be leading, for sure. I knew my pace was good and I felt strong today, so after refuelling I pushed on to the end. I had a great chance to make some time up today, which I did, and now I’m leading so it’s all good! Tomorrow will be tough though as I’ll be leading out, so it’ll be important to stay focused, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Fellow Aussie Toby Price once again showed his experience on stage three by sticking to a fast but calculated pace. With the stage being as long and tiring as it was, a mistake could easily have a huge impact on an overall result, and as such Toby’s solid ride to sixth now sets him up nicely to attack Wednesday’s stage four.

Toby Price – P6

“The weather today has been quite cold and overcast, so that makes a change here at the Dakar. The stage went well for me today, I kept my head down, pushed where I could, and tried to keep to a good pace for the whole day. I dropped down the order a little bit today, but that’s just the nature of the race. It’s only day three, so we’ve still got a long way to go yet.”

Taking on the longest stage of the event so far as the third rider into the special was a huge challenge for Skyler Howes. However, after passing one rider ahead of him and catching up to the other, Howes stayed focused on his navigation and delivered an outstanding ride that would ultimately see the FR 450 Rally rider claim second at the end of the day.

Skyler Howes – P2

“Honestly, this has to be one of the best days I’ve ever had on a motorcycle. The sand was wet and so nice to ride, the mountains here are huge and incredibly beautiful, I can’t describe how it felt to race through there. There was a couple of times when we headed right into the worst of the weather, but luckily, we missed it. I’m really happy with my time today. Mason (Klein) did a really good job of opening, and I was able to catch up with him and just focus on my own navigation through the long stage. I picked up some good bonus time for being the second rider through the stage, so that seems to have worked out well. I’ll be up near the front again tomorrow, so another challenging day but I’m looking forward to it.”

KTM-supported Mason Klein continued to impress on stage four. The young American demonstrated the quality of his navigational skills as he opened the special from start to finish, securing himself a third-place stage result.

Kevin Benavides was well-placed to chase down the seven riders ahead of him, as the fastest Factory KTM, the Argentinian put in a consistent ride to move quickly inside the top three and remain there for the majority of the stage, despite incurring a two-minute penalty.

Kevin Benavides – P4

“It was a good stage for me, but really hard at almost 450 kilometers in length. It was a lost faster on average than yesterday with a lot more sand, but also rivers and canyons as before. It had rained overnight so it was wet in some places, and that changes the terrain a little, especially the soft sand. I rode a strong stage – I had a good pace and didn’t make too many mistakes, but I’m definitely ready to get some rest now and recharge my batteries for tomorrow.”

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Joan Barreda was the next fastest rider in fifth, finishing 45s ahead of Toby Price.

Luciano Benavides was pushing hard on today’s special when a rider ahead of him crashed heavily and required assistance. Benavides remained with the fallen rider until medical help arrived, and then continued on to the finish. After having the time he lost returned to him, Luciano placed provisionally seventh for the day.

Luciano Benavides – P7

“The day went well for me today. My pace was good, and I really enjoyed the stage. After the refuelling, I was riding behind Ricky (Brabec) when he hit a rock and crashed. I stayed with him until the helicopter arrived and then carried on to complete the stage. It’s always difficult to regain your speed after seeing something like that, and I completed the stage on my own, but I think I did a good job. Time to refocus now and push again tomorrow.”

Pablo Quintanilla was again the first of the Monster Energy Honda Team across the line today with an eighth place finish, followed by Adrien Van Beveren in ninth, while Joaquim Rodrigues was tenth, just ahead of Honda’s final factory rider – José Ignacio Cornejo – who was 11th. KTM’s Matthias Walkner was 12th.

Pablo Quintanilla – P8

“I am really sorry for Ricky. He is a great rider, a great friend and he was doing a good job at this Dakar. Hopefully he doesn’t have anything serious, so I am sure he will come back soon. About my day, it was another hard one and long. The rain made the stage a little bit more difficult than normal, making the sand heavy. I did my best and it was important to finish without any mistakes.”

Adrien Van Beveren – P9

“This was a difficult stage, especially when I saw Ricky on the ground, but luckily he was ok. The day was correct to me, I gave my best trying to avoid any mistakes. So I am ready for another day at the Dakar Rally, feeling strong and confident in my skills and support from my team.”

José Ignacio Cornejo – P11

“This was another tough stage and I am really sorry my teammate Ricky had to abandon. The conditions were mixed but very hard. I had a small crash in the beginning and it took me a while to regroup after that. But I am happy with my performance, this Dakar is just starting and I am here to resist and succeed.”

Matthias Walkner – P12

“It was a really long stage today. The landscape was incredible, and possibly one of the most beautiful stages I have ever ridden. I didn’t feel too comfortable today though, I struggled to find a good rhythm and opted to ensure a solid, safe finish. The rocky sections are really unpredictable, so it’s difficult to push as hard as I’d like through them. Overall, I’m happy because I’m giving my all each day, I just need to stay consistent and hopefully the pace will come.”

2023 Dakar Rally Stage 3 Highlights Video

Overall Rankings after Stage 3

Daniel Sanders now leads the overall by 4m04s from Mason Klein, with Kevin Benavides third, almost three-minutes further back. Skyler Howes is fourth, Joan Barreda fifth and Toby Price sixth – now 11-minutes exactly off leading pace.

Pablo Quintanilla, Adrien Van Beveren, Matthias Walkner and Ross Branch round out the top-10 after Stage 3.

Brabec Out

Monster Energy Honda Team also had a casualty in Stage 3, after the abandonment of the rally by Ricky Brabec. The first American to win the Dakar Rally, back in 2020, has suffered a fall after 274 km of the special stage. He was rescued by helicopter and is safe at the local hospital. After all exams, the medical staff at Ha’Il hospital confirms he has no fractures or other severe condition. For precaution, he will remain under observation for another 24 hours, but his condition is good.

The stage was also cut short for the cars category after 288 km, also effecting the slower motorcycles as helicopter support was impacted, with flooding proving a significant issue for many competitors, leaving some questions about what may be in store for riders tomorrow.

A stage that Juan Pablo Latrach is not about to forget! 💦
Just as well he had his “Chaleco” with him… #Dakar2023 pic.twitter.com/kpRFPCz3Yr

— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 3, 2023

Tomorrow the fourth stage from this year’s Dakar Rally will have a start and finish at the Ha’Il bivouac. This special stage will have 425 kilometers and a liaison of 152 km. The weather forecast talks about the comeback of the sun.

Sheer mountains of sand will appear in the first 100 kilometers. After that, there is tricky navigation on the sandy tracks leading back to Ha’Il. So sand dunes and sand tracks will dominate (36% each), leaving just 10% of dirt tracks and rocky sections (9%).

2023 Dakar Rally Stage 3 Results

2023 Dakar Rally Overall After Stage 3

2023 Dakar Rally Schedule