MOTOR SPORTS NEWS

Latest News

  • Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th Indianapolis 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing
  • Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly competes in 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500
  • Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the closed roads of the Scottish Borders for Rd 2, 2023 season
  • How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland
  • Misano 2023 EU Truck Race Report from T Sport Bernau team
  • Home
  • News
  • Dakar
    • DAKAR 2016
    • Dakar 2015
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • Motorbike
  • Touring Cars
  • Circuit Racing
  • Events
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Pinterest
    • RSS Feed
    • Linked
    • Youtube

Price 4th for KTM on Dakar – Stage 7

Jan 14, 2018


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Tweet
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders have successfully completed the long, 727km stage seven of the 2018 Dakar Rally. Second away at the start of the timed special, Toby Price rode a consistent day, increasing his pace towards the end of the stage to claim fourth. Matthias Walkner rode to a solid sixth place, with Thursday’s stage winner, Antoine Meo finishing ninth.
Following on from their rest day, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders were thrown straight back into the extreme conditions of the Bolivian mountains to contend a long and very difficult stage seven. Heavy rains had left a lot of standing water on the route, which soon turned to mud that made riding very tricky.

The 425km timed special is the second longest of the event, only tomorrow’s is longer at 498km. Both days make up the first of the marathon stages for the bikes where riders are allowed no assistance from their teams during the overnight stop. It is imperative that the competitors look after both their bikes and themselves on these stages as even a minor crash could result in significant problems.

Starting second, Toby Price soon caught up the three-minute deficit to team-mate Antoine Meo. The pair rode together for the remainder of the stage and both put in good times. Price’s performance was enough to net him fourth place for the day. The Australian remains in fifth place in the provisional overall standings.

Toby Price: “Today has gone really well, I managed to catch Meo easily enough but then I couldn’t break away from him – we’re on the same bikes with the same top-speed so we ended up riding together. From about the 80km mark there was some tricky navigation, so we just focused on getting through without losing any time. It was so muddy out there, the first part of the stage took us straight into it, then we had some nice fast hard-pack to race over but then towards the end of the stage, things got really wet again, which can make navigation hard. It’s more important to take your time and spend a couple of minutes doing things right than get lost and waste half-an-hour. I’m generally happy with how things are going, after not being on the bike for 12 months things get a little rusty – not just your riding, but your ability to navigate well, too. I’m starting to get my rhythm back though and it feels really good.”

Antoine Meo was always going to have a difficult time as today’s special stage opener. The Frenchman increased his pace to match that of Price and together the duo enjoyed a mistake-free day.

Antoine Meo: “Conditions were hard out there today. It was really tricky and difficult to find the way. Toby caught me quite early on and we rode together for the rest of the stage. Towards the end it was raining and the ground was really muddy, this is really good for us so we pushed as hard as we could and managed to make up a little time. My bike is ok for tonight, but we will need to work a little on Toby’s as he came off a couple of times today. Tomorrow is the longest special of the event, so we’ll need to try and get some good rest for that.”

Matthias Walkner had a challenging day, the horrendous conditions combined with the altitude made the day exhausting for the Austrian. Nevertheless, Walkner was able to push on and posted the eighth fastest time for the day.

Matthias Walkner: “Not the best day for me today, conditions were terrible straight from the start. It was raining, very slippery, and difficult to get into a good rhythm. As the stage went on, I was able to maintain a consistent pace and despite there being a lot of deep puddles and standing water, I didn’t make any mistakes or crash so there is very little for me to do to my bike tonight. Riding at this altitude is exhausting, I already feel tired so I’ll try to get some sleep tonight and do my best again tomorrow.”

KTM Factory Racing riders Laia Sanz and Luciano Benavides again showed very similar pace on todays arduous stage. Finishing 19th and 20th respectively, the duo continue to impress, even on the toughest of stages. Laia remains inside the top-20 in the provisional overall standings in 18th with her team-mate Benavides one place behind.

Sunday’s stage eight of the 2018 Dakar Rally will take riders from the bivouac at Uyuni and head for the rugged desert and red-rock formations of Tupiza, a town in southern Bolivia. Although the total distance covered is a relatively short 585km, the majority of the day’s riding will be on the 498km timed special – the longest of the rally. Day eight will really start to test the competitors.

Provisional Results Stage Seven – 2018 Dakar Rally

1. Joan Barreda (ESP), Honda, 5:11:10
2. Adrien van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 5:14:01 +2:51
3. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Honda, 5:19:12 +8:02
4. Toby Price (AUT), KTM, 5:19:53 +8:43
5. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 5:20:03 +8:53
Other KTM
6. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 5:20:26 +9:16
7. Stefan Svitko (SVK), KTM, 5:20:40 +9:30
9. Antoine Meo (FRA), KTM, 5:22:56 +12:46 (1min penalty)
19. Laia Sanz (ESP), KTM, 5:38:37 +27:27
20. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 5:38:49 30:39 (3min penalty)


  • tweet
Related articles
  • Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th Indianapolis 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing
    Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th...

    May 30, 2023 Comments Off on Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th Indianapolis 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing

  • Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly competes in 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500
    Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly...

    May 27, 2023 Comments Off on Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly competes in 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500

  • Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the closed roads of the Scottish Borders for Rd 2, 2023 season
    Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the...

    May 26, 2023 Comments Off on Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the closed roads of the Scottish Borders for Rd 2, 2023 season

  • How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland
    How Extreme E delivered off track in...

    May 26, 2023 Comments Off on How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland

More in this category
  • How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland
    How Extreme E delivered off track in...

    Comments Off on How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland

  • Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew Al-Rajhi & Gottschalk win new Tabuk-Neom Rally
    Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew...

    Comments Off on Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew Al-Rajhi & Gottschalk win new Tabuk-Neom Rally

  • X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser McConnell’s first win in Extreme E
    X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser...

    Comments Off on X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser McConnell’s first win in Extreme E

  • 40 years of Audi Sport GmbH with a Rev-Up at the Nürburgring!
    40 years of Audi Sport GmbH with a...

    Comments Off on 40 years of Audi Sport GmbH with a Rev-Up at the Nürburgring!


Fleet Car Magazine

Notice Board

  • For Sale! 1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher at Bonhams Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris auction
    For Sale! 1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher at...

    Jan 18, 2023

    Tweet1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher in 2021 to...
  • Opel Ireland partners with Mondello Park to launch 2022 EARLY-DRIVE road safety programme
    Opel Ireland partners with Mondello Park to launch 2022...

    Aug 21, 2022

    TweetA unique young driver education programme, developed...
  • Goodyear FIA ETRC pays tribute to Anthony Janiec
    Goodyear FIA ETRC pays tribute to Anthony Janiec

    Aug 07, 2022

    Tweet The Goodyear FIA ETRC, ETRA Promotion and the entire...
  • Killarney Forestry Rally to raise funds for Air Ambulance
    Killarney Forestry Rally to raise funds for Air Ambulance

    Feb 03, 2022

    TweetRally drivers from across Ireland will help fund...
  • McHugh’s Service Station, Ballindine Mayo Stages Rally, 6 March 2022
    McHugh’s Service Station, Ballindine Mayo Stages Rally, 6...

    Jan 27, 2022

    TweetMayo & District Motorsport Club, organisers of the...

Categories

  • Africa Eco-Race
  • Baja
  • BRC
  • Circuit Racing
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Dakar
  • Dakar 2015
  • DAKAR 2016
  • DAKAR 2017
  • DAKAR 2019 PERU
  • DAKAR RALLY 2018
  • EV Motorsport
  • Events
  • EverGreeens: Irish Abroad
  • Extreme E
  • Forestry Rally
  • Formula 1
  • Hillclimb
  • IndyCar Series
  • Interview
  • Middle East Rally Championship
  • Morocco Rally
  • Motorbike
  • News
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • RallyX
  • Related products
  • Review
  • Sportscars
  • Touring Cars
  • Tribute
  • Truck Racing
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • WRC
Tweets by @IrMotSportNews

Recent Posts

How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland

How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland

May 26, 2023

Tweet The Hydro X Prix in Dumfries and Galloway marked a number of successes on course at the former opencast coal mine at Glenmuckloch. There were also multiple initiatives taking place off-track as...
Read More
Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew Al-Rajhi & Gottschalk win new Tabuk-Neom Rally

Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew Al-Rajhi...

May 21, 2023

X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser McConnell’s first win in Extreme E

X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser...

May 19, 2023

40 years of Audi Sport GmbH with a Rev-Up at the Nürburgring!

40 years of Audi Sport GmbH with a Rev-Up at the...

May 19, 2023

Impressive entry list for first Tabuk-Neom Rally: 2023 Saudi Toyota Rally Championship

Impressive entry list for first Tabuk-Neom Rally:...

May 14, 2023

Copyright 2016 / All rights reserved