As Stage 12 of the 2023 Dakar Rally began, it asked a simple but important question of the competitors: Would their marathon stage strategies hold up? Yesterday’s Stage 11 was part one of a marathon stage—meaning, after the riders completed stage 11, mechanics would not be touching the bikes to get them prepared for stage 12. Strategy in planning each team’s marathon efforts is key.
Stage 12 saw Toby Price take an early lead by the first timing checkpoint at kilometer 42. Since Luciano Benavides won Stage 11, he was the first to start—but he was soon passed up by both Price and fellow Aussie, Daniel Sanders.
