Press release
6KB
january 07, 2022 - KTM
Third-place result for Matthias Walkner on shortened Dakar stage six
The initially planned 404-kilometer special on today's stage six was set to see the bike class competitors repeat the route used by the cars and trucks yesterday. With the terrain heavily cut up by the passing of the previous day’s vehicles, the organizers decided to cut the stage short on safety grounds and take the day’s results from the first refueling point, at just over the 100-kilometer mark.
Matthias Walkner came into today’s stage knowing that the rough terrain would pose a huge challenge to all riders and the chance of some unexpected dangers was very high. As such, the experienced Austrian took extra care on the heavily rutted ground and aimed for a safe finish to the stage. Despite his caution, Walkner was third fastest to the refueling point at kilometer 100, where the stage was Eventually stopped. Matthias now sits second overall at the close of the first week of #racing, trailing the current rally leader by under three minutes.
Matthias Walkner: “Obviously it was a short day today and the tracks were really rough. You had to focus a lot and really take care – it was also very physical with the ground being cut up so badly. I’m a little disappointed that they let us race the stage only to cancel it at 100 kilometers, but I suppose it was the same for everyone. Thankfully it all went ok, and I reached the finish safely. We have a rest day tomorrow that I’m really looking forward to, so I’ll try and recharge my batteries and then attack once again next week for the final six stages.”
As the fifth rider to enter the stage, Toby Price also soon realized that extra care was needed to avoid a crash. Despite a couple of close calls, the two-time Dakar champion safely arrived at the end of the special in eighth place. Lying 12th in the provisional overall standings, Toby trails the leader by just under 40 mins. However, with the toughest, most technical six days of the #Event left to race, the Australian star is confident of being able to close that deficit.
Toby Price: “It was quite a short stage today. The cars and trucks had all passed through there yesterday, so we were on their stage today. I think we all went into the stage with a bit of a feeling that it wasn’t going to work and yeah, a lot of the dangers were worse than listed on the roadbook and there were a few extra hazards out there too. I think they made the right call to stop it at 100 kilometers – I had a couple of scary moments myself out there. I’m happy to reach the rest day safely, not quite the overall position I would have liked, but there’s still a long way to go, so I’ll give my all and see what I can do next week.”
Further information in the press release to download
Toby Price - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2022 Dakar Rally
5000x3333, 4MB
Danilo Petrucci - KTM Factory Racing - 2022 Dakar Rally
5000x3333, 3MB
Matthias Walkner - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2022 Dakar Rally
5000x3333, 3MB
Kevin Benavides - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2022 Dakar Rally
5000x3333, 5MB
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