Hillston hero Toby Price has picked up third position in the 2020 Dakar Rally after strong showings over the final two stages.
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In what has been a challenging event both on and off the bike Price was able to maintain his composure and take third place by a margin of just over five minutes.
Heading into the final two stages Price was sitting in fourth spot, just over a minute behind Joan Barreda Bort from Spain.
On a challenging stage 11, Price was able to make up the time needed to jump into third place but unfortunately continued to move out of range as he finished fifth in the stage.
"I really needed some of the other guys up there in the outright standings to get in there between us to make up that needed time," he wrote on social media.
"We were in a lot of dunes today. I actually struggled to make the first refuel at 229km, I came in there with just 1-litre of fuel, so we really had to preserve and look after the bike to make sure we made the finish."
With just one leg of the race to go, it was going to take a monumental effort to gain ground on the top two positions.
Price managed to finish stage 12 with a third place finish just two minutes and 25 seconds behind winner Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo to see him secure his spot on the podium for the fifth time in six years with the only time he had missed the podium was in 2017 when he broke his left leg.
Price wrote on social media to thank his family, sponsors and all of his fans for the support throughout the 2020 event.
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