Toby Price’s hopes of victory in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge took a blow on the third leg after stopping to help an injured rival.

Price stopped to help the fallen Mohammed Al Balooshi in the Liwa Desert towards the end of the 281km Al Ain Water Stage.

The Red Bull KTM rider waiting with Al Balooshi, who was airlifted to hospital where he was diagnosed with concussion.

“For me I had a good day, but right near the end (Al) Balooshi fell off his bike so I stopped to make sure he was okay and to wait for the helicopter to pick him up,” the Australian said.

“Rider safety is so important and I’d happily throw a race to make sure a rider is okay.”

Price now sits eighth and nearly 40 minutes off Sam Sunderland, who leads the Bikes classification with two days remaining.

The stage was won by Luc Alphand (John Cooper Works Buggy), who recovered from gearbox problems during the previous day’s running, winning the by almost four minutes.

Retaining his lead in the Cars classification, Martin Prokop (Ford F-150 Evo) was third for the day to hold an eight minute advantage over Jakub Przygonski (Mini John Cooper) in the overall rally standings.

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge continues with a 244.49km Stage 4 on Wednesday before finishing on Thursday at the Yas Marina Circuit.