As the ninth driver to enter the stage, Toby Price took full advantage of his late start position, starting from the start. Toby moved up to third on time at km 39 and continued to attack throughout the special. Losing a few minutes in the final kilometers of the stage, partly as the lead rider’s bonus time kicked in, Price eventually took home his KTM 450 RALLY for fifth.
Combined with his first three finishes in the rally prologue, Toby was third going into day two – the first leg of the marathon stage of the event.
Toby Price: “Today was a good day – a bit different than what we’ve seen in the past at this event. Although the stage was fast, with lots of straights and some big gaps between the brims, there were some big gaps along the dunes. The dropouts, there were some surprises. There were a few that surprised me, so it meant it was hard to attack all the time because you didn’t know which rise was going to be cut. I felt good and the bike was doing well here, so We’ll keep going and hope tomorrow is another strong day.”
Provisional Results – 2023 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Phase 1
1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 3:00:15
2. Adrien Van Beveren (France), Honda, 3:02:15 +2:00
3. Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 3:03:27 +3:12
4. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHI), Honda, 3:04:31 +4:16
5. Toby Price (Australia), KTM, 3:04:52 +4:37
Other KTMs
9. Mason Klein (USA), KTM, 3:12:45 +12:30
10. Paolo Lucci (Italy), KTM, 3:14:07 +13:52
PROVISIONAL RANKING – ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE 2023, FROM STAGE 1 OF 5
1. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 3:40:15
2. Adrien Van Beveren (France), Honda, 3:42:31 +2:16
3. Toby Price (Australia), KTM, 3:45:32 +5:17
4. Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 3:45:35 +5:20
5. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHI), Honda, 3:47:51 +7:36
Other KTMs
9. Mason Klein (USA), KTM, 3:53:49 +13:34
10. Paolo Lucci (Italy), KTM, 4:03:19 +23:04