New to the Dakar Rally and the competitors, Stage 6 of this year’s event comprises of a 48-hour marathon format with riders covering a total of 835 kilometers over two days of racing. At 4pm local time, all competitors had to stop at the next bivouac they came to. In the case of Price and Benavides that was at break point F, at the 513-kilometer mark. Tomorrow, riders set off once again in the order they arrived at the rest point, in one-minute intervals, to cover the remaining 113 kilometers of timed special.

Taking advantage of his third-place result on Wednesday’s Stage 5 and the reverse start to today’s special, Toby Price pushed hard right from the off, using his skill and experience to navigate through the vast dunes of the Empty Quarter. Increasing his pace as he chased down the 14 riders ahead of him, Toby moved into third place on the timesheets by kilometer 200 – a position he defended to the close of today’s racing. The Australian will now camp out in the Saudi desert with little in the way of facilities ahead of Friday’s second half of the stage.

Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders has successfully made it through the first leg of the all-new chrono stage at the Dakar Rally. As one of 12 riders to reach the sixth temporary bivouac on the special, Sanders is running up front and provisionally ranked fourth-fastest as it stands. With racing resuming tomorrow, Chucky is well-placed to complete the unique special in a strong position with just 113 kilometers to go before he reaches the stage’s finish line.
Riders get no outside assistance after the first day of racing and there was the added element that riders had to stop at the next temporary bivouac on stage when the clock struck 4pm local time.

For Sanders, well, he was running up front from the start and covered an incredible 513 kilometers in a little over six and a half hours to reach the sixth bivouac. Currently fourth on stage and moving up to seventh overall as it stands, we think Chucky might be a fan of these chrono stages. We’ll ask him when we catch up with him tomorrow!

Andreas Hölzl – Rally Team Manager: Sanders “It’s been a great day for Daniel. He delivered a mistake-free ride and reached the sixth temporary bivouac on the stage today with no problems. The stage started a little later than normal, which meant that the temperatures were a little higher than usual, so it’s been a really long and tough stage. Overall, I’m happy with Daniel’s performance. We’re almost halfway through the race now and once tomorrow’s second leg of the stage is complete, we’ll certainly enjoy the rest day.”

Andreas Hölzl – Rally Team Manager: Price “The boys did an excellent job today on what was a long, hot, and very tough day in the desert. The stage went well for both riders with no big mistakes or issues, and both of them reached rest point F, which gives them about 120 kilometers to race tomorrow. They are both in a good position to have a strong day tomorrow ahead of a well-earned rest day on Saturday. We’re not halfway through the race yet, but everything is looking good and we’re still well in the fight.”