“ I ’ m so happy to take second place here in Abu Dhabi ,” he said . “ I pushed so hard today and opened all the way – it was a tough and exhausting day . There was quite a lot of pressure this morning to do the stage at full gas , it was the only choice I had . But I think I did a good job and I ’ m happy with the result . To come away from the race with a podium and two stage wins is amazing . Of course , I want to win , but I think this is the best way to keep building race by race and the win will definitely come . I think I ’ m fourth in the championship now , so I ’ ll keep on giving my all and see what happens in Mexico .” KTM ’ s Toby Price had a mountain to climb going into the final day of the ADDC lying sixth overall and with a seventh-place start position . The two-time Dakar Champion had no option , but to use the tracks left in the sand ahead of him to push as hard as he could and try to make up the maximum time on his rivals over the 206-kilometre timed special . Leading on time for the entire stage , Price steadily increased his advantage over the field to ultimately finish close to two and a half minutes ahead of the second-placed rider , Jose Ignacio Cornejo . That gap was crucial as it was Cornejo who Price edged out of podium contention by a mere two seconds after well over 17 hours of racing . “ I had to push really hard today . Opening on the long day four really knocked me back in the overall such were the conditions . I knew my only choice today was to push hard , and so I went as hard as I could possibly go for the whole 206 kilometres ! To only just make the podium by two seconds is crazy . It shows the level of the riders at the moment in rally , with the results often coming down to seconds and not minutes – I think that ’ s really good for the championship . Lastly , the bike and the whole team have been great here in Abu Dhabi , working so hard to give us the tools we need . There ’ s a little bit of a gap now but then it ’ s on to Mexico for the next round .” Price ’ s podium result at round two , added to his runner-up finish at the Dakar Rally , move him into the lead of the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship standings with 46 points - four points clear of Honda ’ s Van Beveren . However , with three rounds left to contest , there ’ s still a long way to go for the championship , with round three , the Sonora Rally in Mexico , kicking into gear from April 22-28 .
KIWI RIDER 15