Posted on February 27, 2023 by Michael Le Pard
As the ninth rider to enter the stage, Toby Price made the best use of his later start position to push right from the off. Moving up into third place on time by kilometer 39, Toby continued to attack for the entire special. Losing a couple of minutes in the closing kilometers of the stage, partly as the bonus times of the leading riders came into effect, Price ultimately brought his KTM 450 RALLY home in fifth place.
Combined with his top-three result from the rally’s prologue, Toby lies in third overall heading into day two – the first leg of the event’s marathon stage.
Toby Price: “A good day today – a little bit different to what we’ve seen in the past at this event. Although the stage was fast with lots of straights and some big gaps between the caps, the dunes threw up a few surprises with some big drops along the way. A few caught me by surprise, so that meant it was difficult to attack the whole time as you didn’t know which of the rises would be cut away. I’m feeling good, and the bike is performing well here, so we’ll keep plugging on and hopefully put in another strong day tomorrow.”
Provisional Results – Stage 1 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2023
1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 3:00:15
2. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 3:02:15 +2:00
3. Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 3:03:27 +3:12
4. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHI), Honda, 3:04:31 +4:16
5. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 3:04:52 +4:37
Other KTM
9. Mason Klein (USA), KTM, 3:12:45 +12:30
10. Paolo Lucci (ITA), KTM, 3:14:07 +13:52
Provisional Standings – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2023 after 1 of 5 stages
1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 3:40:15
2. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 3:42:31 +2:16
3. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 3:45:32 +5:17
4. Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 3:45:35 +5:20
5. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHI), Honda, 3:47:51 +7:36
Other KTM
9. Mason Klein (USA), KTM, 3:53:49 +13:34
10. Paolo Lucci (ITA), KTM, 4:03:19 +23:04
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