Stage 2 was a tricky route from Al Wajh to Neom for 393 kilometers, nearly all of which is competitive. The new rule of getting the roadbook in the morning gets different reactions from riders but one thing for sure it added some excitement into the racing.
At the end of the day Ross Branch (BWA) of BAS DAKAR KTM got his first ever Dakar stage win. He won by 01′ 24” clear from Sam Sunderland who finished the day with P2. This gave Sam the overall lead of the rally after Stage 2. It was Pablo Quintanilla of Husqvarna who completed the top 3 for the day.
Defending champion and Stage 1 winner Toby Price had fairly slow day and finished P15 with over ten minutes slower than the stage winner. It even caused a little frustration during his post-stage interview. He complained about the new roadbook regulation and mentioned that how hard it is to be leading a stage. Toby is now P9 overall.
Post-Race Comments
Ross Branch “The hope is to get to the finish line first and see how many good results I can get in between there. Still learning a lot every day. Trying to be quicker and a bit closer to the fast guys that are finishing up front so Today was a really good step in the right direction.”
Sam Sunderland “Good day on the bike today. 2nd on the day and now leading the General Classification Today is the first super marathon stage and we will be back into the Saudi Mountains Tomorrow in Neom.”
Pablo Quintanilla “This second stage, with parts similar to the north of Chile, showed that the route is not going to be easy. I will continue enjoying and delivering all my effort in this Dakar Rally. Tomorrow to continue moving forward!”
