Dakar Rally Heating Up for Aussies

The 43rd Annual Dakar Rally has been heating up for the four Aussies. They are still making their mark in the challenging stages in Saudi Arabia, concluding on January 15 in Jeddah after 7,646km and 12 days of competition.

Stage 5 Riyadh-Al Qaisumah on January 7 was a stage with 205km of Liaison and 456km of Special section of sand, Terre, stones, dunes and chott. Queensland’s Toby Price (dual winner 2016 and 2019) finished second overall for the stage with no rear brakes in the final 120km of dunes; the whole foot brake pedal was missing from Price’s machine. Rookies, Daniel Sanders (Victoria) finished seventh, Michael Burgess (Victoria) 39th and Andrew Houlihan (New South Wales) 57th. 

Stage 6 Al Qaisumah-Ha’il January 8 Liaison 170km, Special 448km of sand, Terre and dunes. However, event organisers cut 100km off the stage. Toby Price was in the overall lead after finishing seventh in the stage. Rookies, Daniel Sanders finished third overall in the stage, Michael Burgess finished 43rd and Andrew Houlihan 67th for the stage.

In its second and final week, the competitors and crew rested for a day on January 9, while also marking the halfway point for the world’s toughest navigation rally. A day off for the human body as muscle fatigue, blisters, strains, and pain continue to make their mark.

Stage 7 Ha’il-Sakaka January 10 Liaison 284km, Special 453km of sand, Terre and dunes. The first day of the marathon stage was challenging, two days without a service area with riders only to repair their machines with what they could carry. The Rookie, Daniel Sanders, did well finishing fifth, whereas Toby Price had a day of drama with a crash and damaging his rear tyre. Price used a bushman fix, race tape to prevent sand from entering the tyre, preventing the specialised moose tube from overheating by a sandpaper effect. Price used cable ties to fix the tyre trim to the rim, to avoid the already large gash becoming more significant and stop the rubber from spinning on the rim or coming off the rim entirely. It ended any hope to compete for the next day in a race time that could keep another Dakar victory ending in Toby Price’s corner. Daniel Sanders continued to impress with fifth overall, Michael Burgess finished 39th and Andrew Houlihan 62nd for the stage.

Stage 8 Sakaka-Neom January 11 Liaison 334km, Special 375km of sand, Terre, tarmac and chott. In an amazing effort and with lady luck, Toby Price witnessed his rear tyre home with a cable tie to spare. In an emotional roller coaster incorporating new Dakar rules, Price had thought his aim of winning this year’s event would be out of reach because of a rear tyre. 

Daniel Sanders suffered a setback of his own during the stage. It was during the last 100km that things came unstuck. While looking down at his navigation notes to avoid a mountain, he hit a rock at the bottom of the dune, damaging the front wheel in the process. A new rim and tyre were a welcomed sight at the end of the marathon stage. “The front hit a rock, twisted the bars, straight over the hangers and went headfirst into a dune and sliced my lip open,” stated Sanders. 

“It was really tough for me today. I struggled with focusing a lot this morning with the road-book. I was a little bit tired from yesterday’s crash. It was good to make it to the finishing line. I’m glad I’m here, and we’ll fix everything up tonight, then get ready for the last few days. The chin’s alright; it’s just a little bit hard to eat. It’s a little bit swollen, and I’ve got a bit of a headache, but it’s not too bad - there are no bones broken or anything. I just got some stitches in the cut. It’s all good, it’s fine,” said Toby Price who finished second for the stage. Rookies, Daniel Sanders finished seventh, Michael Burgess 33rd and Andrew Houlihan 61st.

Stage 9 Neom-Neom January 12 Liaison 109km, Special 465km of sand, Terre, tarmac and stones. Early in the stage, Australian fans saw the news they didn’t want to see. At 10.11am local Saudi time, after 155km, Toby Price had a fall, injuring his left arm and shoulder. Price was airlifted to Tabuk for X-rays; not how the Queenslander wanted to finish his 2021 Dakar. 

Rookie, Daniel Sanders finished eighth for the stage. Michael Burgess finished 28th and Andrew Houlihan finished 52nd.

Overall, Daniel Sanders sits in sixth place, Michael Burgess 30th and Andrew Houlihan 53rd.

The Dakar Rally will finish on January 15.