Toby Value leads Dakar Rally bike part from fellow Australian Daniel Sanders after prologue

Two-times winner Toby Value is off to an excellent begin in pursuit of a 3rd Dakar Rally triumph by profitable the prologue in Saudi Arabia. 

Dakar Rally

Prologue – bike class

Toby Value (AUS): winnerDaniel Sanders (AUS): + 1 secondRoss Department (BOT): + 9 seconds

Value, the winner in 2016 and 2019, posted the quickest time on Saturday on a KTM, a second forward of Daniel Sanders for the GasGas manufacturing unit crew, who made it a one-two for Australia.

Britain’s defending champion Sam Sunderland was tenth quickest for GasGas.

The Dakar Rally started in 1978 as a race from Paris throughout the Sahara to the Senegalese capital however switched to South America in 2009 for safety causes. It moved to Saudi Arabia in 2020.

Value gained the prologue of the forty fifth Dakar, protecting just a little greater than 10 kilometres in 8 minutes 22 seconds.

The Australian can select his beginning place for Sunday’s first stage.

“It is a actually good begin. I do not know if it is a good factor. For positive, it is good to choose your beginning spot, however I do not know if it is going to be a bonus or an obstacle,” Value advised dakar.com.

“Final 12 months, the technique we had was mainly utterly the flawed course of what I wanted to do. I am going to simply depart my thoughts open. Lengthy phases to go. In 14 days rather a lot can occur.

“It is good to win the prologue in the present day, however it’s not gonna assure nothing. We’ll keep on two wheels, have enjoyable and benefit from the desert.”

In the meantime, Audi’s Mattias Ekstroem took an early benefit within the automobile rally by profitable the flat 13km prologue to the occasion that begins from the shores of the Crimson Sea.

Ekstroem was one second sooner than nine-times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb, driving for Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX), with Audi teammate and 14-times Dakar winner Stephane Peterhansel third.

Qatar’s defending champion Nasser al-Attiyah was fourth in his Toyota.

AAP/Reuters