#aussieaussie Toby Price has his 2021 Dakar Rally off to the perfect start with victory on Stage 1. KTM teammates Matthias Walkner and Sam Sunderland also put in strong results on the opening day, finishing third and fourth, respectively.
Ninth fastest in the qualifying Prologue, Price used the first 75km of Stage 1 to slowly build his confidence and speed. Placing second at kilometer 92, the two-time Dakar champ then moved into the lead, maintaining a strong pace to the finish. Leading the provisional standings by 23 seconds, Price will open Monday’s stage two.
“Overall, the day has gone well. Navigation was certainly tricky today – it was hard to find the right pistes and valleys and annoyingly I managed to get lost a little bit on the last few kilometers to the finish," said Price. "Other than a few other little mistakes, the rest of the stage was good. I’m happy with how I looked after the bike and the tires because with the new rules we really have to be careful. Looking ahead at the whole race, I think there are going to be some big swings in the standings – the plan is to try and stay consistent and not lose too much time. I’m opening tomorrow so hopefully I won’t make too many big mistakes and we can keep this momentum going.”
