Red Bull KTM’s Toby Price set the pace on today’s opening stage of Dakar 2021 which was run over 623km of rocky and sandy terrain.

The rocky nature of the course also made bike preservation a priority, especially with the new-for-2021 tyre rules that allow the top riders a maximum of only six rear tires over the course of the event.

Ninth fastest in the qualifying Prologue, Price used the first 75km of stage one to slowly build his confidence and speed.

Placing second at kilometer 92, the two-time Dakar champ then moved into the lead, maintaining a strong pace to the finish. Leading the provisional standings by 23 seconds, Price will open Monday’s stage two.

“Overall, the day has gone well. Navigation was certainly tricky today – it was hard to find the right pistes and valleys and annoyingly I managed to get lost a little bit on the last few kilometers to the finish,” said the former champ.

“Other than a few other little mistakes, the rest of the stage was good. I’m happy with how I looked after the bike and the tires because with the new rules we really have to be careful.

“Looking ahead at the whole race, I think there are going to be some big swings in the standings – the plan is to try and stay consistent and not lose too much time.

“I’m opening tomorrow so hopefully I won’t make too many big mistakes and we can keep this momentum going.”

Monster Honda’s Kevin Benavides was second with a 31-minute gap with Mattias Walkner third and Britain’s Sam Sunderland fourth.

Jamie McCanney finished 19th on his Monster Yamaha with reigning champion Ricky Brabec in 24th. David Knight was 37th, four places behind Laia Sanz while Neil Hawker ended in 58th.