Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Matthias Walkner, Toby Price, and Kevin Benavides are fired up and focused on success as they enter the final phase of preparations ahead of next January’s Dakar Rally.
The three-man team – all former Dakar Rally winners – will be joined in the Middle East by newly-retired MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci, who will make his Dakar debut at the 2022 event.
With just over one month to go before the highly anticipated start of the 2022 Dakar Rally, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are currently completing their final period of testing before packing their bags and heading to the start of the famous race, early in January 2022.
Walkner, Price and Benavides will all compete on the latest version of the KTM 450 RALLY – a bike developed in close cooperation between KTM Technologies, KTM’s R&D department, KISKA, and KTM Motorsports over the past two years.
Walkner has enjoyed an exceptional 2021 season, ultimately becoming FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion.
Finishing as runner-up at the high-speed Rally Kazakhstan, the 35-year-old then topped the Silk Way Rally before solidifying his position as the man on form by claiming another runner-up finish at the Rallye du Maroc and wrapping up the world title.
At the final race of the year – the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Walkner brought his 2021 season to a winning close, underlining his impressive form ahead of next January’s Dakar Rally.
Now, with time to focus on his next big challenge, Matthias goes into the Dakar fully fit and carrying a huge amount of confidence ahead of the two-week race. Winner of the event in 2018, he’ll undoubtedly be looking to double his title count in January.
“2021 has been a really, really good year for me, starting with my performance at the Dakar and then throughout the world championship,” said Walkner.
“Luck wasn’t on my side in January, I had an issue early on that cost me too much time to get a top result. My speed was definitely good though and I was able to carry that into the rest of the season.
“It’s been a difficult couple of years for everyone but it’s always good when all your hard work and training pays off with some strong results.
“To finish inside the top two in all of the four races we entered during the year, and to take two wins shows my passion for racing is still as strong as ever.
“Morocco is one of the most important races leading up to the Dakar due to the terrain and with all of the top riders competing, I finished second there, less than two minutes down and that was definitely a big boost for my confidence. I’m feeling good, I’m really comfortable on the bike, and with just a few weeks to go before Dakar, I’m ready to race!”
Toby Price showed impressive pace at the 2021 Dakar Rally, but was frustratingly forced to retire following a crash on stage nine, which caused a year of disruption for the Aussie.
Following three separate surgeries, Price has largely stayed away from competition, spending time on his bike at home in Australia during the second half of the season, before joining the team later in the year to test and develop the new KTM 450 RALLY.
Contesting the Rallye du Maroc in October, he put in five solid days of racing, also taking the time to further improve the set-up of the new machine through the Moroccan dunes in preparation for the Dakar.
Happy with his own performance, and that of the bike, Price will be looking to make amends for his 2021 Dakar disappointment and claim his third title at the 2022 event.
Meanwhile, ready to make his Dakar Rally debut for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 2021 event winner Benavides is fired up to get back racing following an injury-hit season.
Due to make his competitive debut for the team at Rally Kazakhstan, Benavides’ participation was ruled out following a practice crash that resulted in an injured shoulder.
Like team-mate Price, Benavides endured a period of time off his bike before restarting his full training regime later in the summer. At the Rallye du Maroc – his first time riding the KTM 450 RALLY in competition – Kevin placed a solid seventh overall, showing exceptional skill and speed on the tricky-to-navigate sand stages.
The reigning Dakar Champion will now complete his intense training regime to build his strength ahead of the 44th edition of the event, before heading out to the Middle East late in December with the goal of making it two in a row.
Joining the team in Saudi Arabia, former MotoGP Petrucci will be riding for KTM Factory Racing and making his competitive rally debut at the Dakar. Swapping his KTM RC16 for a KTM 450 RALLY, the likeable Italian will take on the world’s toughest rally hoping to complete the event at his first attempt.
Petrucci has already had time to test his Tech3 KTM Factory Racing rally bike alongside the team and has undergone intense road book training, under the watchful eye of KTM’s Rally Sport Manager Jordi Viladoms, in order to be ready to face the incredibly challenging navigation required for rally racing.
The 2022 Dakar Rally will start on Saturday, January 1, with a short Prologue to decide the start order for stage one.
In total, the event consists of 12 full stages, covering a distance of around 8,000km.
The race is set to start in Ha’il, from where riders will travel south, stopping at the rest day in Riyadh before heading on to the finish at Jeddah, on the Red Sea coast, on January 14.
Competitors will also face the challenge of two marathon stages during the rally, where no outside assistance is allowed.
Photo courtesy KTM
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