The ferry is loaded and all the race vehicles are on the way to Dakar Rally! After losing to American Ricky Brabec on his Honda last year (breaking a two-decade long stranglehold) Red Bull/KTM Factory Racing is back with a vengeance for 2021!
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price, Matthias Walkner and Sam Sunderland are in the final stages of their Dakar Rally testing, ramping up for the January 2nd start. Joined by KTM Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders, who enters the upcoming Dakar as part of KTM’s junior rally program, the four KTM 450 RALLY mounted riders are hard at work in Dubai as they count down the days to the grueling 12-stage race.
“Obviously, it’s been a really tough year for everyone," says Price. "With all the restrictions, we’ve not been able to race like we normally would. We’ve only managed to fit in one rally since the Dakar in January, which was great, but I think everyone is looking forward to getting back to some serious racing now. For me, I pretty much had to leave home for the last three months and won’t be heading back to Australia until after Dakar. My base is now in Dubai and I’ll spend Christmas there on the run up to the event."
"Testing has been going really well now in the latter half of the year and for the team to be able to get together in Dubai was a huge advantage," adds Walkner "It not only lets us train and work on the bike, but it brings us all together like a family and we’re able to discuss things and make important decisions as a team. We have some experience of what to expect with the terrain now and have a good idea of what we will face. The team have been able to adjust the bike to suit and I honestly think we will go into the next Dakar with the best rally bike I have ever ridden.”
