KING AGAIN: Hillston’s Toby Price wrapped up his third Australian Off-Road Championship during the ninth and 10th rounds in South Australia last weekend.
HILLSTON-born enduro star Toby Price has rubber-stamped his reputation as the best in the country after sealing his third Australian Off-Road Championship at Kapunda in South Australia last weekend.
Price has been dominant in the national series this year, picking up wins at the prestigious Finke and Hattah desert races, but it was the overall crown he was chasing after losing it in 2011.
After starting strongly last year, Price suffered a horror accident that saw him left with broken ribs and damaged kidneys.
But all of that was put behind him as he won the E2 class championship and second outright in the overall cross country race before cruising to his eighth round win during Sunday’s sprint round last weekend
“You always have a lot of highs and a lot of lows and I went through some of the lows last year,” Price said of his comeback.
“But this year has been great for me and it’s all going well, so all of the hard work and effort has paid off because it’s a long road to get back to the top after an injury.”
Despite being just 25 and already the best in his profession, Price said there were still plenty of challenges out there for him and not just in Australia.
“There’s no rest really, if you do well and win one race there’s always another one to focus on, so we’re looking to finish off the local season well,” he said.
“The races I do at the moment – it’s good to be winning all of those championships, and really you can’t stop doing more races.
“I might look to do safari and another one that would be pretty good would be the Baha 1000 in Mexico.”
Price even hinted at maybe tackling the prestigious Dakar Rally, but said if he did take on the king of enduro races, he would have to plan his tilt at the race, saying he would not want to do it half-heartedly.
“That race is a huge event and it needs a lot preparation, not just for the rider but for your equipment and the team behind you to actually support you to do the race,” he said.
“So that’s a big one to do, and that’s why it’s hard to plan to do it because I would want to do it right.”
Price paid tribute to his support team, saying without them he would not be able to win the titles he has to date.
“Jeff Leisk and everybody from KTM set me up with a great bike in the 500 EXC and I’m just so happy that we chose that bike,” he said.
“It turned out to be a winning combination and I can’t wait to do the Four Day on that bike, which is my goal now.”
The next national outing for Price will come at the Australian Four Day Enduro, which is scheduled to take place at Warragul in Victoria from October 24 to 27.
