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IN THE WIND P20 TOBY PRICE MAKES DAKAR HISTORY R ed Bull KTM's Toby Price pulled off a historic win in the 2016 Dakar Rally, becoming the first Australian to celebrate an overall win in the "world's toughest race." Price rode to a modest finish in the 13 th and final stage of the rally – more than enough to cinch the win after dominating the final week of the rally. He finished with a margin of nearly 40 minutes over sec- ond place rider Stefan Svitko of Slovakia. "Winning in just my second participation is awesome, but being the first Australian to with the Dakar is just insane," ex- claimed Price. "I would've never imagined this two years ago. Finishing the rally is already a triumph. Winning it is amazing!" Price amassed a total of five stage wins in the 2016 Dakar Rally, which was ravaged by the effects of El Nino. Thunder- storms, severe downpours, rag- ing rivers and washed out roads wreaked havoc on this year's Dakar Rally, as well as intense heat, dusty high-speed sections and sky-scraping altitudes of over 15,000 feet. "I tackled the race in true Aus- sie style," Price said. "I attacked when I had to, when the time was right, and I kept an eye on my bike during the all-important marathon stages. I also navi- gated quite well. I hope this is just the start. It won't be easy to win again, so I've got to savor this victory." Red Bull KTM Rally Team Manager Alex Doringer gave special thanks to "an old friend" in celebrating the Dakar victory with Price. "Toby did an amazing job and I am very happy for him," Doringer said. "When I brought him into the team I was very happy to do something for my old friend Kurt Caselli. He was the one who encouraged me to try to get Toby to the Dakar and today we see the results." Price also gave thanks to Kurt Caselli's memory, and dedicated his win to his fallen friend. KTM rider Stefan Svitko col- lected a commendable second- place finish. The Slovakian rally specialist raced his first Dakar in 2010, and finished fifth overall in 2015. Svitko celebrated a stage win in Stage 10, and aside from a small setback in Stage 11, he was consistently in the top-three all the way to the finish. In the final stages, the race to watch was between An- toine Meo, Pablo Quintanilla, Kevin Benavides and Helder Rodrigues for the final podium position. Sadly, Meo suffered a crash near the end of Stage 11, which dropped the Dakar rookie out of podium contention, and thwarted any hope of an all-KTM podium. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's Quintanilla held a slight advan- In only his second attempt in the Dakar Rally, Red Bull KTM's Toby Price celebrated the overall win. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIN M.