The brave bikers of the Red Bull KTM Factory Team pitted their wits against some of the most inhospitable terrain on Earth at the 2018 Atacama Rally. The squad’s trip to South America was perfect preparation for the upcoming Dakar Rally, where the team are looking to make it 18 consecutive victories.
The five-day Atacama Rally took the bikers on a 1,300-kilometre journey through the driest desert on the planet. The conditions in northern Chile were ideal for testing the riders and their machines for the 2019 Dakar which will take place in Peru.
2016 Dakar winner Toby Price went into Saturday’s final stage looking to leap from second overall into first place. He pushed hard on the desert tracks around the Chilean mining town of Copiapó, but eventually had to settle for a runners-up result behind Kevin Benavides.
“I set out at the beginning of the event to ride consistently and get back up to speed with the bike and the navigation and I think I have managed that.