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2015 Dakar: Price still holds a strong fourth
And came within 41 seconds of the winner in stage eight, as the Aussie continues to turn heads in his Dakar debutAussie rookie Toby Price (KTM) remains in fourth position overall in the 2015 Dakar Rally, nearly 16 minutes behind new race leader and defending champion Marc Coma (KTM).
Price was fourth in the second half of the marathon stage eight, 41 seconds behind Chilean winner Pablo Qunitanilla. Honda's Joan Pedrero and Stefan Svitko (KTM) were second and third, while Coma was well back in ninth position – but still able to assume the lead in the 2015 Dakar Rally after previous pacesetter Joan Barreda (Honda) struck mechanical problems.
The stage started with a high-speed dash across the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, and then returned riders back into the mountains and the dunes of Chile’s Atacama Desert. Finally they had to negotiate the terrifyingly steep descent back to Iquique.
The start of the rally was delayed because of weather conditions and rain the day before had made conditions tricky for a high-speed dash across what is the world’s largest salt lake. Coma said later that conditions had been “over the limit”. Price also commented that the salt water has clogged many of the bikes and had especially affected the electronics, resulting in a lot of problems for many of the top riders.
"For me it was just a matter of preserving the bike and trying to get to the finish. It's still in one piece and I am just hoping I can get to the finish line," said Price.
Honda's Paolo Goncalves is in second position overall, nine minutes and 11 seconds (9:11) behind Coma, and then it's Qunitanilla (11:11), Price (15:56) and Svitko (26:30).
Stage nine takes riders from Iquique to Calama (Chile) over a total distance of 539km, 451 km of which is timed special.
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Written byBikesales Staff
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