Hunter Dakar champion Toby Price says he has gone past the point of return and will see out the end of the Dakar Rally irrespective on the pain from his injured wrist.
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Price was eighth on stage seven but retained third position overall, eight mintues and 28 seconds off the lead.
American Ricky Brabec, from the Monster Energy Honda Team, moved up to first and Frenchman Adrien van Beveren leapfrogged Price from fifth to second.
In a clear demonstration of just how fluid placings can be, overnight leader Chilean Pablo Quintanilla dropped from first to fifth and is now 9 min; 59 seconds off the pace.
Price’s KTM Red Bull teammate Sam Sutherland, from the UK, won stage seven and is now 1 min; 30 seconds behind Price.
Despite continuing pain Price remains upbeat about finishing the rally.
“The day has gone well, it ended up with a lot of us riding in a group today. We did get lost at one point and lost a few minutes but all-in-all things are going OK,” he said at the completion of the stage.
“Obviously, my wrist is still giving me some pain, but we’re past the point of no return now – there’s no stopping.
“I’m still sitting in third overall with just a few stages left so I’ll continue taking each day as it comes and keep on fighting.
Stage eight is 575km long, including a 360km timed section.
Overall lead:
RICKY BRABEC: Monster Energy Honda 24H 48’ 02”
ADRIEN VAN BEVEREN: Yamalube Yamaha + 00H 7' 47''
TOBY PRICE: Red Bull KTM Factory Team + 00H 08' 28'' Pen: 1’ 33”
SAM SUNDERLAND: Red Bull KTM Factory Team + 00H 9’ 58” Pen: 2’ 00”
PABLO QUINTANILLA: Rockstar Energy Husqvarna + 00H 9' 59''
KEVIN BENAVIDES: Monster Energy Honda + 00H 16’ 15''
MATTHIAS WALKNER: Red Bull KTM Factory Team +00H 16' 16'' Pen: 3’ 00”
STEFAN SVITKO: Slovnaft Team + 00H 37' 096''
ANDREW SHORT: Rockstar Energy Husqvarna + 00H 39' 07''
XAVIER DE SOULTRAIT: Yamalube Yamaha + 00H 40' 08'' Pen: 1’ 00”