After a slow start to stage two of the Dakar Rally, Toby Price surprised himself to post a time of two hours, 37 minutes and 32 seconds which sees the Roto-raised rider take an outright lead.
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Price finished the stage – which started in Resistencia and finished in San Miguel de Tucumán – three minutes and 51 seconds in front of Honda’s Paulo Goncalves and leads the Portuguese rider by two minutes and 54 seconds overall.
The KTM rider managed the dominant ride despite easing into the stage.
“I thought this morning, being held up a little bit at the beginning, would have hurt my time,” Price said.
“I didn’t really start to push until the 150-kilometre mark.
“I just thought my pace was good but it must have been better than I thought.”
The stage victory completed a quick turnaround for Price who finished 17th in the first stage.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the 2016 Dakar champion who once again had to compete with the searing heat and plenty of animals throughout the stage.
“It was really hot today, I’m starting to get a little over it and eager to reach the cooler temperatures,” Price said.
“It was a fairly easy day navigating but when you have wildlife popping up all over the place it can always be very interesting.”
Tonight’s (AEDT) stage will see Price travel from San Miguel de Tucumán to San Salvador de Jujuy.