Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price endured a tough day on Stage 4, losing a little time due to a navigation error to ultimately complete Stage 4 of the Dakar Rally in 15th place.

Although a little shorter than the two previous days at the Dakar, the timed special on stage four saw competitors race for around three hours against the clock. The route from Al Salamiya to Al Hofuf was less demanding in terms of the terrain covered, but with high speeds and some tough navigation, focus was required throughout.

Price had a tougher time racing through the 299-kilometre timed special for Stage 4 than his teammate Kevin Benavides. Following a solid start to the stage, a mistake just over 100 kilometers into the special dropped Toby down to 23rd on the timesheets. After regrouping and fighting back, the Australian was able to gain back several minutes and several places to ultimately finish in 15th. Price now lies eighth in the overall standings at the close of day four.

Meanwhile, Stage 4 of the 2024 Dakar Rally for Daniel Sanders proved to be a serious test this time around. Still reacquainting himself with rally racing somewhat after a lengthy spell off the bike due to injury in 2023, Daniel Sanders got on with the job at hand and safely completed stage four. Placing 20th today, the Aussie now lies just outside the top-10 in 11th. But with the times in the overall classification pretty tight, it could all change again after stage five.

Despite clocking the 20th fastest time on stage four, Daniel Sanders is now perfectly positioned to attack tomorrow’s fifth stage, which features a rolling sea of sand dunes, and work his way back up the leaderboard. With plenty of riders to chase down ahead of him, Sanders can ride with a little less focus on his roadbook, and a little more focus on getting on the gas through the power-sapping terrain. You’ve got this, Chucky!

At the front of the field, Nacho Cornejo was able to show that he is not just an excellent navigator, taking the lead in the bike category general rankings. On reaching the finishing line, Cornejo won the stage and also took the lead in the general rankings, taking advantage of Ross Branch’s two crashes, both of which were fortunately not serious. The man from Botswana lost the three-minute lead he had yesterday and even gave away an extra one.

Daniel Sanders: “A bit of a rough one today and I struggled a lot with my riding. It was pretty tricky to ride with a good pace while keeping an eye on the roadbook and those two things aren’t really coming together for me at the moment. Not my best day at the Dakar, but we’ll be back again tomorrow to fight another day.”

Toby Price: “Not the best day for me – with so many tracks ahead of us in the sand and some tough navigation on the stage, we got lost a little midway through and ended up losing some time. It’s still very early days with a long way to go, but it’s always frustrating to have a rough day. There were a lot of spectators out there on the special, which is always good to see. Overall though, I’m happy to be here at the finish in one piece and still well in the race, so we’ll focus on tomorrow and see what that brings.”Provisional Results – 2024 Dakar Rally, Stage 4

1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 2:51:11
2. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 2:54:10 +2:59
3. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 2:54:29 +3:18
4. Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 2:55:37 +4:26
5. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 2:56:36 +5:25
Other KTM
15. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 3:06:19 +15:08

20. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 3:09:52

Provisional Standings – 2024 Dakar Rally (after 4 of 12 stages)

1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo (CHL), Honda, 17:27:13
2. Ross Branch (BWA), Hero, 17:28:28 +1:15
3. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 17:32:09 +4:56
4. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 17:47:52 +20:39
5. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Honda, 17:49:43 +22:30
Other KTM
8. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 18:02:07 +34:54

11. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 18:06:56