DAKAR 2021 SHAKEDOWN

Dakar 2021 Shakedown – Check out some epic shots from the 2021 Dakar Rally Shakedown Day!

The Saudi Arabian sand hosts the legendary Dakar Rally for the second time between January 3-15 and four Australians will contest the bike category, among those three are rookies.

By HEATH McALPINE

Previous winner Toby Price, again contests the 4,767km event, as part of the factory KTM team and he is joined by fellow Australian Daniel Sanders for his first attempt at the world’s premier rally raid.

Riding privateer KTMs are Andrew Joseph Houlihan and Michael Burgess as both also complete their maiden Dakar events.

Last year, Price finished third behind American Ricky Brabec riding for Honda and the Husqvarna of Chilean Pablo Quintanilla, but the Australian is eager to add another Dakar crown to his resume.

“Since 2015 we’ve had a pretty good track record and every time we line up I think everybody is trying to win the race and win the event,” Price said.

“It’s what we work hard for all year and the one that we really want.

“We’ve been able to string a few events together, 2017 was the event I broke my femur in Dakar and was a tough one, but other than that we’ve had a good showing and we’ve been happy with our results.”

The build-up has been a different one for Price with normally a year’s worth of Dakar preparation crammed into a third of the time.

“It’s been a lot different than previous years, but it’s the same for everyone at the moment,” said Price.

“We’ve just been trying to jam in as much as we can in the last four months. I spent eight months at home in Australia and it’s the longest period I’ve had at home. To say that, I’ve spent the last four and a half months away from home, I missed Christmas with family and friends, but I’ve been in Dubai doing a lot of testing and everything has gone really well.”

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DAKAR 2021

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