Press release
17KB
january 10, 2022 - KTM
Red Bull KTM factory racing ready for second week at Dakar 2022
Saturday at the #Dakar gives all competitors a well-earned break from competition, and with the 2022 #Dakar Rally challenging competitors right from the start with its long, grueling stages and technical navigation, the Red Bull KTM team will use the downtime to recharge their batteries ahead of the forthcoming final week.
Delivering great speed and impressive consistency over the first week, Matthias Walkner is well-placed to attack the final six days of #racing at this year’s #Dakar. Lying second overall, less than three minutes behind the leader after 20 hours of #racing, Matthias knows a solid finish at each and every stage of the final week will be key to securing a second victory at the iconic #Event.
Matthias Walkner: “It’s been a good week for me. It took me a little time to get settled on the bike because I hadn’t ridden the new version so much, but with the help of the team, we made some really positive changes and I’m super happy with how things are now. I’m healthy, I haven’t had any big crashes, so I’m ready to keep pushing in the second week. It has been a tough rally so far – they always try to make things difficult in terms of navigation and slow things down a little, so I’m expecting more of the same from Sunday onwards, as it seems the terrain will be far more technical. Consistency is the most important thing, with so many riders so close on time, you can’t really afford to make a mistake that costs you 30 minutes or so. I’ve really been trying to focus on my roadbook on every stage, and so far, it’s paying off.”
Stage 1B of the #Dakar – the first full stage ridden by competitors – threw up a huge surprise in terms of the incredibly precise navigation required to successfully make it through the special. With one particularly tricky note in the roadbook not only catching out the experienced Kevin Benavides and Toby Price, but also half the #RallyGP field, many riders lost time on that first stage and were forced to play catch-up as the #Event continued. Kevin and Toby currently lie eighth and 12th respectively at the Dakar’s halfway stage, but with week two promising to require even more precise roadbook skills, they could easily make up the time required to challenge the race leaders.
Kevin Benavides: “It’s been a mixed first week for me, but overall, I’m happy with how I have ridden. Losing time on that first day was always going to be hard, but since then I have had a good pace and things have gone a lot better. My confidence with the bike is improving all the time, so I really believe I’m in a good position to attack the second week. If the first week was all about long, fast stages, I think these next six days will be all about the navigation. The roadbook this year has some differences in it day by day and that only makes it even tougher for us. The rain we have had here has also made the stages trickier to navigate – I think the key to doing well from here to the finish will be taking time and making less mistakes than everyone else. For me, I think that suits my style, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Toby Price: “It’s been a very up and down first week for me. After day one I’ve been #racing hard to try and get back on terms with the others, and so far, it’s going well. It’s been a tricky first week and so I’m expecting much of the same in week two – hopefully I’ve had my share of bad luck already so I can look forward to something good over the next six days. The organizers have really tried to make things tough for us this year, which is what we expected, the key is to try and stay smooth and stay on top of the roadbook and all the little changes. Looking ahead, I’m feeling good physically, I’ve only had one little tip off and that is important at the rest day – it leaves you fit and free to really attack the second half of the race. Hopefully, if all goes well, some of the others ahead will makes some mistakes as the fatigue sets in and I can capitalize on that at the right time.”
Further information in the press release to download
Matthias Walkner - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2022 Dakar Rally-1
5000x3334, 3MB
Toby Price - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2022 Dakar Rally
5000x3337, 4MB
Toby Price - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2022 Dakar Rally -1
5000x3334, 4MB
Danilo Petrucci - KTM Factory Racing - 2022 Dakar Rally
5000x3337, 2MB
Kevin Benavides - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2022 Dakar Rally
5000x3334, 3MB
Matthias Walkner - Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2022 Dakar Rally
5000x3333, 4MB
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