Photo: dakar.com
Australian Toby Price grasped the holy grail of Dakar rookies as he claimed his debut victory in the penultimate stage of this year’s rally-raid. His achievement is the result of both leader Marc Coma taking things easily and his own speed and determination. Considering Price’s riding manner in his first Dakar, Toby Price may very well be one of the new rising stars in this tough sport.
Price has shown an exceptional consistency as his times have been in the top 5 throughout the whole rally, and he has not made huge navigation errors to hamper his riding. One stage before the final checkered flag is waved in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires, Toby Price sits in a rather comfortable third position overall, distancing at more than 11 minutes from his follower Chilean Pablo Quintanilla. Price is also the first Aussie to win a Dakar stage since 2006 and it looks like only a crash or mechanical failure can deprive him from a well-deserved podium in Buenos Aires.
Stage 12 saw Barreda Bort arriving second, less than 2 minutes slower than Price, with Slovakian Jakes and Svitko being 4th and 5th, respectively. Helder Rodrigues, Quintanilla, Frans Verhoeven and Laia Sanz rounded up to top ten in Rosario.
The final Stage of the 2015 Dakar is a short and very fast one, but the riders will most likely take things very seriously until they are safely past the finish line. We have seen abandons even in the final stage so the last 219 km (136 miles) of liaison and 174 km (108 miles) of timed section are not to be treated lightly.
In the absence of navigation mistakes, crashes or blown engines, the 2015 Dakar podium sees Marc Coma adding his 5th title and equaling Cyril Despres, Paulo Goncalves and a superb third position for Toby Price. Laia Sanz is currently in a most rewarding place 8.
Former MotoGP rider and current team owner Lucio Checchinello (LCR Honda) was also present in the bivouac supporting Honda-powered riders.
Stage 12 - Car/Bike - Stage Summary - (Termas... by Dakar
Coma plays it safe
Current leader Marc Coma rode carefully in Stage 12, with his only worries being keeping Paulo Goncalves at bay and not crashing. Goncalves, who finished third yesterday is still 18 minutes adrift Coma, after receiving a 16-minute penalty for changing his engine. It looks like HRC settled for the runner-up position this year and simply wanted to make sure the Portuguese reaches Buenos Aires.Stage 12 saw Barreda Bort arriving second, less than 2 minutes slower than Price, with Slovakian Jakes and Svitko being 4th and 5th, respectively. Helder Rodrigues, Quintanilla, Frans Verhoeven and Laia Sanz rounded up to top ten in Rosario.
The final Stage of the 2015 Dakar is a short and very fast one, but the riders will most likely take things very seriously until they are safely past the finish line. We have seen abandons even in the final stage so the last 219 km (136 miles) of liaison and 174 km (108 miles) of timed section are not to be treated lightly.
In the absence of navigation mistakes, crashes or blown engines, the 2015 Dakar podium sees Marc Coma adding his 5th title and equaling Cyril Despres, Paulo Goncalves and a superb third position for Toby Price. Laia Sanz is currently in a most rewarding place 8.
Former MotoGP rider and current team owner Lucio Checchinello (LCR Honda) was also present in the bivouac supporting Honda-powered riders.
Stage 12 - Car/Bike - Stage Summary - (Termas... by Dakar
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