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KTM Wins The 2017 Dakar Rally

The 2017 Dakar Rally was surely full of surprises and challenges, but despite the harsh and unpredictable conditions, KTM scored its 16th win with Sunderland and Walkner achieving the top two positions. This also marks the first time they completed the 12-stage rally, as both had retired with injury and sickness in earlier editions.
KTM wins Dakar 2017 6 photos
Photo: KTM Racing
KTM wins 2017 DAKAR RALLYKTM wins 2017 DAKAR RALLYKTM wins 2017 DAKAR RALLYKTM wins 2017 DAKAR RALLYKTM wins 2017 DAKAR RALLY
Having led the race from stage 5, Sam Sunderland went into the final 64 kilometers timed special with a 33-minute advantage on his KTM 450 Rally bike and managed to cross the finish first after almost 9,000 km through Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina, battling with challenging conditions and hard navigation.

He is also the first British racer to win the Dakar in any category. His Austrian teammate Walkner had a little more pressure in the closing stages as fellow KTM pilot Gerard Farres Guell kept very close and took the third place.

“When I crossed the line my emotions really took over,” Sunderland said. “I’ve had a lot of weight on my shoulders for the last six days. Now it feels incredible. I have to say thanks to my team; the bike has been great from start to finish. When Toby (Price) went out of the race, it was a blow to the team, as he’s a good friend. Because of the strong bonds we have in our team it helped us to pull together and strive to do something special. There’s a lot of fast guys that have the potential to win this race; I think cutting out the mistakes was the key to this win.”

Toby Price, who was the 2016 winner, had a nasty surprise in the fourth stage of this year’s Dakar Rally, as he crashed and broke his leg in four places. Following surgery in La Paz, Bolivia, the Australian rider got home safely with one thought in his mind - get back on the bike in four months.

Spanish KTM factory racer Laia Sanz, who had a very successful second week after losing time in the first half of the event, wrapped up her rally in an impressive 16th overall, just one place short of her pre-race goal of a top 15 finish.
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