Red Bull KTM riders all geared up for 2020 Dakar Rally

Michelle Liew

December 31, 2019

The 2020 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia will be a challenging task for the Red Bull KTM riders.

2020 Dakar Rally commences on January 5 | Photo credits: KTM Factory Racing

The 2020 Dakar Rally will be taking place in Saudi Arabia for the first time. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing ended the 2019 Rally in second and third place with riders Matthias Walkner and Sam Sunderland respectively. The excellent Dakar result is a key component for Sunderland to win the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship alongside teammate Luciano Benavides clinching the junior title.

The 2020 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia consists of 12 challenging stages which overs a total of 8,000 kilometres. The race will be a tough one in terms of the terrain, navigation and endurance. Five of the stages are timed specials over 450 kilometres. A big portion of the race is held on the sandy tracks.

This time, teammates Toby Price, Sam Sunderland, Matthias Walkner and Luciano Benavides will be eyeing on greater results. the 2020 Dakar Rally commences in Jeddah on January 5.

Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)- What to Expect?

Photo credits: KTM Factory Racing

“Winning the 2019 Dakar started off as a bit of a dream. But with a lot of hard work put in behind the scenes by myself and the team we were able to make it happen, even with a broken wrist. It took a little time to recover from that event. I had aggravated the injury during the race and needed another surgery and bone graft to fix things,” says Price as quoted from KTM Factory Racing.

“I spent the first part of the year recovering but then was back on the bike for the Atacama in September. My feeling on the bike was good there, which was encouraging and I’ve been getting steadily stronger ever since. Testing has been good. As usual, the team have made some important tweaks to the bike, primarily with the suspension, so I’m really pleased about that. 2020 is going to be a whole different Dakar for us. It’s putting everyone back on a level playing field, which I think is good for the sport. It’s going to be a new race, a new look and I’m really excited for the challenge.”

Sam Sunderland (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)- What to Expect?

Photo credits: KTM Factory Racing

“I’m confident going into this Dakar. You kind of judge your pace on how you have been riding the previous year. Winning the world championship and coming third in the Dakar earlier in the year has been a real boost for me. Both the team and the bike have been fantastic all year. I’m going into the race fit and focused on doing my best. I’m looking forward to the new challenge that awaits us too. It’s going to be a new adventure for everybody and I think that really sums up the spirit of the Dakar. I like the fact that we are going somewhere new and that everyone is going to have to adapt and overcome all the new things that are thrown at us. The route is looking tough, but I’m certainly going to give the race my best shot.”

Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)- What to Expect?

Photo credits: KTM Factory Racing

The last Dakar was really tough for me. Finishing second was fantastic but breaking my ankle on only the fourth day made the rest of the race a massive challenge. Thankfully I was able to finish but the recovery process since then has been quite long. The training I’ve been doing has had a massive benefit to my fitness. Although I haven’t spent as many hours on the bike as I would have liked, I feel great within myself and certainly ready for this new challenge. Testing has gone well. Not just with the feeling on the bike but with navigation too, as I think it’s going to prove extra-important at this Dakar.”

Luciano Benavides (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)- What to Expect?

Photo credits: KTM Factory Racing

“2019 has been the best year of my rally career so far. To finish the last Dakar in eighth and then win the junior world title with fifth in the overall is amazing. After such a strong season I’m really looking forward to the 2020 Dakar. I feel I have come on a lot since last year. I’m excited to put my experience to the test. The Dakar for me is like no other rally. You have to take the event day by day and treat each stage as a single race. I try not to worry too much about the overall time. The most important thing is to get to the finish safely and do the very best performance that I can.”