Australia's Dakar Rally hopes have suffered a trying start in the Saudi Arabian desert with both Toby Price and Daniel Sanders losing time on the race's motorcycling pacesetters.
Two-time winner Price had a poor day on the unremittingly challenging first 414km stage from Al'Ula to Al Henakiyah on Saturday, finishing 16th place, some 23 minutes and 20 seconds behind the stage winner, Botswanan rider Ross Branch.
Sanders, who had finished second in the opening prologue, couldn't take advantage of his favourable starting position, finishing only ninth fastest 15:37 behind Branch.
“It was rock 'n roll today! I like it - but if I had known beforehand what was on the agenda, I would have asked for other settings for the bike. It's the first day and I already feel like I've had the fifth!" said Red Bull GasGas rider Sanders.
"It's not easy to attack like that on this kind of terrain when you're coming back from injury. My priority was not to hurt myself," added the Victorian who is still feeling the effects of a broken leg he suffered last year.
Branch, an airline pilot who doubles as a rally daredevil, was the hero of the day, not only winning the stage but also stopping during the stage to help Honda's stricken Spanish prologue winner Tosha Schareina, who took a tumble on the rocks and had to retire from the race with a broken left wrist after 240km.
Unwittingly, Price, on his Red Bull KTM, found himself close to the drama.
"I tried to pass Toby and I think I hit something with the rear wheel. I crashed in slow (speed) but I broke my wrist," explained Schareina.
Branch stopped to help him and was later credited by organisers with the lost time, as he took the stage honours, nearly 11 minutes ahead of American Ricky Brabec.
Belgian Guillaume de Mevius was the surprise leader in the cars category, the Toyota driver winning the stage while the favourites Sebastien Loeb and Nasser Al-Attiyah both hit trouble.
De Mevius finished 1:44 seconds clear of Audi's second-placed Spaniard Carlos Sainz, with Toyota's South African Giniel de Villiers third overall.
Al-Attiyah, the reigning champion was 17th, nearly 25 minutes adrift, with nine-times world rally champ Loeb, also in a Prodrive Hunter, 14th, at 22:47 behind.
"In the first 50km we had two punctures and then we cannot push. We just tried to manage to reach the finish," said Al-Attiyah.
The great race does not get any easier in Sunday's 463km from Al Henakiyah to Al Duwadimi.
