After five time Dakar winner Marc Coma retired from the race, Australia’s Toby Price emerged as the man to beat in the world’s toughest endurance race.
After seeing the initial stages marred by heavy rain, the f13th and final stage from Villa Carlos Paz to Rosario was a fairly straightforward affair, seeing Price join a long list of KTM riders who have been unstoppable at the event since 2001.
The Aussie rider secured a total of 5 stage wins this year on his Michelin equipped KTM 450 Rally, and came into his own in the second week of the competition after fellow front-runner Paulo Goncalves of Honda also retired after a bad crash.
Also joining him on the podium were Privateer Stefan Svitko (KTM/Michelin) who produced a stunning performance to make it a one-two result for KTM, while Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna/Michelin) inherited third spot following the fall of Enduro expert Antoine Meo (KTM/Michelin) on the penultimate stage. The Frenchman notched up two stage victories, however, and was one of the surprise talents of this year’s rally.
All of the top four finishers were using Michelin’s acclaimed Desert Race rally raid tyres, which have helped several riders claim the podium top spot at the grueling Dakar in recent history, including Marc Coma.
Find out more about the Michelin Desert Race here.
