Dakar Rally 2017: Price and KTM take lead of bike class, Santosh and Aravind 39th and 125th

With the distances increasing and the Dakar Rally getting underway in earnest, the expected heavy-hitters made their move to the top of the general

Toby Price has assumed the overall lead. (PHOTO: DPPI/E. Vargiolu)

Sherco-TVS remains in the top ten with Garcia ninth overall (PHOTO: DPPI/E. Vargiolu)

Joaquim Rodrigues is 22nd overall for Hero-Speedbrain. (PHOTO: Hero MotoSport)

CS Santosh gained eight places to rank 39th overall. (PHOTO: Hero MotoSport)

Sherco-TVS\' Metge had a rough day and was towed by Aravind KP. (PHOTO: DPPI/E. Vargiolu)

With the distances increasing and the Dakar Rally getting underway in earnest, the expected heavy-hitters made their move to the top of the general classification after January 3rd's 803km total distance, which comprised of 275kms of timed stages. The route took the field through Argentina from Resistencia to San Miguel de Tucuman.

Last year's winner, Toby Price of KTM, assumed the overall lead of the rally and is currently just 2 minutes and 54 seconds ahead of Honda's Paulo Goncalves. Another KTM, in the hands of Sam Sunderland, is third overall ahead of Yamaha's Xavier De Soultrait.

Sherco-TVS' Juan Pedrero Garcia, who was the overall leader after the opening stage, slipped to ninth overall while Hero Motosport's Joaquim Rodrigues is 22nd overall.

CS Santosh improved eight places to 39th overall on board his Hero-Speedbrain but following two broken bones in his left hand on the opening stage, Aravind KP slipped from 61st overall to 125th overall. In addition to having to bear the pain of a broken hand, Aravind also had to give Sherco-TVS teammate Adrian Metge a tow for the final 70km of the timed section as well as for 100km of the transport section.

Today's running from San Miguel de Tucuman to San Salvador de Jujuy will total to 780kms with 364kms of that being timed.

Hopefully Aravind, Santosh and all the riders from Sherco-TVS and Hero MotoSport get a relatively trouble-free day of running as the navigation challenges are expected to be higher from now on.

Provisional General Classification

1. Toby Price (KTM) 3hrs 17min. 17sec.
2. Paulo Goncalves (Honda) 3:10:11
3. Sam Sunderland (KTM) 3:10:40
4. Xavier De Soultrait (Yamaha) 3:10:58
5. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 3:11:43
6. Ricky Babec (Honda) 3:11:46
7. Stefan Svitko (KTM) 3:12:02
8. Joan Barreda Bort (Honda) 3:12:49
9. Juan Pedrero Garcia (Sherco-TVS) 3:14:03
10. Gerard Farres Guell (KTM) 3:14:06

22. Joaquim Rodrigues (Hero-Speedbrain) 3:21:35
39. CS Santosh (Hero Speedbrain) 3:40:26
124. Adrien Metge (Sherco-TVS) 5:05:53
125. Aravind KP (Sherco-TVS) 5:08:55