Aussie Price wins Dakar Rally 12th stage

Australian rookie Toby Price rode his KTM to a dominant victory in the 12th stage of the Dakar Rally on Friday as Spaniard Marc Coma moved closer to a fifth title.

“It’s my first go at the Dakar, but like we say, we’ve still got one day to go,” said Price, 27, after his first stage win.

“Anything could happen and at this stage everything is just feeling good. There have been a lot of highs and lows and good learning curves as well as a few mistakes, but we’re trying to fix them as best as we can and get to the finishing line.”

Coma played it safe to finish sixth at 6min 25sec behind Price who had led from start to finish.

“There was a lot to lose and it was important to not make any mistakes or crash and just to arrive at the finish,” said Coma.

Spaniard Joan Barreda Bort finished second at 1min 55sec with fellow Honda rider Paulo Goncalves of Portugal third at 3min 02sec.

Goncalves, second in the overall motorcycle standings, only took back 3min 23sec on Coma, with the Spaniard holding a comfortable 18-minute advantage going into Saturday’s final stage to Buenos-Aires.

Price, from Singleton in the NSW Hunter Valley, consolidated his overall third place, taking more than ten minutes on Chilean rival Pablo Quintanilla, who finished eighth.

In the car section, Argentine Orlando Terranova claimed his fourth stage win and the 11th for the dominant Mini team, as Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah closed in on a second overall title.

Terranova, 35, finished ahead of another Mini driven by Russian Vladimir Vasilyev and the Duster Renault of fellow Argentine Emiliano Spataro.

“It was very nice to drive, but a little risky,” said Terranova.

“By the end we had caught up with Nasser and ended up in the dust. When we came to the finish, there were a lot of people by the road and it was very nice.”

Al-Attiyah, winner in 2011, is almost certain of victory in the final stage on Saturday which finishes in Buenos Aires.

The 44-year-old Mini driver holds a lead of almost 36 minutes on South African Giniel de Villiers in a Toyota, having extended the margin by seven minutes on Friday.

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!