The Dakar Rally has no respect for status – a point underlined today when two former champions ended their campaigns.
First to go was Nasser Al-Attiyah who withdrew overnight after a serious mechanical failure on Stage 3 put him more than two hours off the pace.
The second to fall was Toby Price. The KTM rider, who last year became the first Australian to win the Dakar Rally, was leading Stage 4 and closing on the finish line when he crashed heavily, fracturing the femur on his left leg.
His KTM team-mate Matthias Walkner, himself the victim of a gut-wrenching fall in 2016, stopped to ensure Price was safe. He was soon on a helicopter to hospital and Walkner continued his ride, claiming a deserved stage win.
"I stopped with him until the medical team told me that he wasn't going to be able to continue. Health is the most important thing and I hope that he's OK," said Walkner, adding, modestly. "I started 11th so I had it easier because I could see more tracks. I felt pretty good on the bike, but I didn't think it was enough for victory."