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IN THE WIND P36 PRICE INJURED, SUNDERLAND WINS SEALINE CROSS COUNTRY RALLY F rom day one of the Sealine Cross Country Rally it became clear that Red Bull KTM's Sam Sunderland and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's were in for a battle. The duo tied for the stage win on day one (followed closely by Toby Price) which set the stage for the five-day rally, round two of the 2016 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion- ship, April 17-22. On day two, the pair again faced off, and after leading the way through the tough off- road special section, they took a wrong turn in the final miles, giving up valuable time. Despite their seventh and eighth-place finishes on day two, the battle for the lead remained between the duo as the rally wore on. Toby Price was also in the mix for the lead in the first two stages of the rally, but an injury caused the Australian to pull out of the race early. The Red Bull KTM rider slipped a disc in his back and made the decision to withdrawal. "It's never the best to pull out of races halfway around the world when the team puts in so much effort, time and money," Price said. "But pulling out of today's race and event is hopefully going to be a smarter option for the long term." The 2016 Dakar Rally winner was hoping to make a bid for the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship, and was off to a good start after winning the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge earlier in April, but now has little hope of claiming the title. "The team I have is the best and told me it's not worth it and shows they put safety first," he added. "It blows me away that [after] everything they do, they are still on my side and say call it quits in bad times. I can't thank them enough." Quintanilla and Sunderland pushed each other to a gap of more than 20 minutes over third-place rider Helder Rodrigues by the third stage. In stage four, Sunderland received the advantage he needed to gain the lead and keep it. A mistake by Quintanilla cost him several minutes, and despite a valiant effort on the fifth and final stage, the Chilean rider had to settle for second. "This victory feels good," said Sunderland. "I worked hard these past six months to get fit again after I broke my leg. I wasn't able to take part in the Dakar and it was tough for me watching the race on TV, both mentally and physically, as I was in rehab. So I am really pleased with this win after battling all week with Pablo." Rally racers have little more than a week to rest up before they head to Egypt for round three of the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Champion- ship, the Pharaon's Rally. CN Red Bull KTM's Sam Sunderland celebrated his first win of the season at the Sealine Cross Country Rally in Qatar. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIN M./KTM IMAGES