Jean Turner | January 4, 2016
With a little more cooperation from Mother Nature, the 2016 Dakar Rally truly got underway in Stage 2 today. Although the route still needed to be abbreviated and revised due to the big storm that is continuing to wreak havoc on the course, it was effectively the first real stage of the race. Red Bull KTM Factory rider Toby Price of Australia was the quickest on the day, battling the muddy conditions to taking control of the rally with a slim victory over Husqvarna’s Ruben Faria. KTM rider Stefan Svitko rounded out the Stage 2 podium.
With a win in Stage 2, Red Bull KTM Factory rider Toby Price is the first official stage winner in the 2016 Dakar Rally. Photography by KTM / Barni C.
“It was a long day in the saddle, but for sure it’s started well for us,” said Price. “Today was really easy navigation and we had a few tracks we could see, plus the route was pretty well marked.”
Toby Price now holds a slim lead in the Dakar Rally, a mere two seconds ahead of Ruben Faria who had another great day. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider completed the 219-mile (354km) special – which riders agreed didn’t require hardly any navigation – only 20 seconds behind Price, who stopped the clock at three hours, 46 minutes and 24 seconds. Although Price is happy to be out front, he is well aware of the task still ahead.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Ruben Faria was a close second in Stage 2 and is only two seconds behind Price in overall standings. Photography by Husqvarna / Barni C.
“You’ve got to have a perfect race go your way for the two weeks,” Toby Price explained. “Realistically it’s day one, so we’ve got a long way to go. It’s good to get one stage win out of the way, but we’re looking forward to being smooth and consistent the rest of the week.”
Alain Duclos put his Sherco in fourth place ahead of KTM’s Mattias Walkner. The HRC Honda duo of Paulo Goncalves and Joan Barreda followed in sixth and seventh places, respectively. Barreda, who was the lead rider on Stage 2, had a tough day in the mud, ending the day seventh in the stage and sixth overall in the Dakar Rally standings.
“It was a complicated day,” commented Barreda. “We set off opening the track after yesterday’s cancelation and over the first kilometers all was going fine, but after I found myself in a mud-filled track where I got stuck several times. I had to push really hard and lost a bit of time but later I was able to pick up the pace. In the end I conceded a bit of time in this long stage.”
It was a tough day for HRC Honda’s Joan Barreda, who started the day in the lead, but finished seventh and now sits sixth overall. Photography by HRC
Goncalves also had a challenging time in the mud, but thanks to the help of his American HRC teammate, Goncalves was able to finish sixth in the stage, and move up to seventh in the standings.
“I came out really strong and there was a bit of dust in the beginning, but after [that], I got caught up in the mud,” Goncalves explained. “Luckily there was Ricky Brabec who helped me out of it. I didn’t lose too much time and the final position is a good one. The important thing is to be up there near the head of the field, not lose the fight and battle on to the end.”
American rider Ricky Brabec put his team before himself today, but still managed a solid 21st place finish. Photography by HRC
American rider Brabec had another consistent day, finishing 21st in the stage, and now sitting 21st in the standings. Brabec also had some hang ups in the mud, but reported an otherwise good day.
Fellow American riders Ian Blythe and Alexander Smith are showing consistency, with Blythe carding a 47th place finish for 44th overall, and Smith improving his standing after his front brake complication in the prologue. Smith finished 76th in Stage 2 and had advanced several spots in the standings to 73rd.
KTM’s Laia Sanz also had a strong recovery in Stage 2, climbing from 114th to 19th in the standings after her 14th place finish today.
The original route for Stage 2 contained a 279-mile special (450km) but it was shortened by 60 miles due to the heavy rains. Riders still completed nearly 500 miles today as they trekked to Termas de Rio Hondo. They will face another grueling day tomorrow as they ascend into the mountains and head to San Salvadore de Jujuy, with 412 miles (663km) to travel including a 195-mile special (314km), and more rain and thunderstorms in the forecast.
Riders can look forward to sevaral more soggy days in the saddle as weather forecasts currently predict rain throughout the week in the northern Argentina area.
Dakar Rally Stage 2 Results:
- Toby Price (KTM) 3:46:24
- Ruben Faria (Hus) +0:20
- Stefan Svitko (KTM) +1:28
- Alain Duclos (Shr) +1:51
- Mattias Walkner (KTM) +2:00
- Paulo Goncalves (Hon) +2:38
- Joan Barreda (Hon) +3:22
- Kevin Benavides (Hon) +3:36
- Juan Pedrero (Shr) +4:25
- Pablo Quintanilla (Hus) +4:32
- Laia Sanz (KTM) +7:09
- Ricky Brabec (Hon) +10:50
- Ian Blythe (KTM) +25:29
- Alexander Smith (Hus) +42:54
- Scott Bright (KTM) +47:41
- C.R. Gittere (Hus) +1:06:16
Dakar Rally Overall Ranking after Stage 2
- Toby Price (KTM) 3:53:09
- Ruben Faria (Hus) +0:02
- Stefan Svitko (KTM) +1:21
- Alain Duclos (Shr) +1:53
- Mattias Walkner (KTM) +1.59
- Joan Barreda (Hon) +3:04
- Paulo Goncalves (Hon) +3:20
- Kevin Benavides (Hon) +3:26
- Pablo Quintanilla (Hus) +4:24
- Juan Pedrero (Shr) +4:30
- Laia Sanz (KTM) +10:34
- Ricky Brabec (Hon) +10:54
- Ian Blythe (KTM) +25:57
- Alexander Smith (Hus) +44:17
- Scott Bright (KTM) +48:54
- C.R. Gittere (Hus) +1:07:24
