FEATURE
2016 DAKAR RALLY WINNER TOBY PRICE
P80
shoulders. How all that changed
over the ensuing fortnight.
Coma won, confirming that
strategy is just as important as
speed, Gonçalves demonstrated
that Honda was nearing a win,
and Price proved he was ready
for a fully factory-backed ride
by becoming the first rookie to
stand on the podium since Andy
Haydon all those years ago.
Since signing a two-year deal
with the Red Bull KTM team in
July 2015, Price spent consid-
erable time training with Marc
Coma in Spain.
"Marc certainly fast-tracked
my education considerably,"
says Price. "But when he moved
onto a management role with the
ASO, any further assistance was
no longer an option. It would
certainly be seen as favoritism
by the other competitors."
Three months after winning
the Dakar, Price has learned to
cope with the celebrity of being
the first Australian to taste victory
and the first bloke whose first-
and only-language is English.
"I'm sure that's great for Eng-
lish speakers and I'd like to think
my win will open some doors
for the rest of the world, Austra-
lians and Americans. I probably
wouldn't be here if it wasn't for
Kurt Caselli, who opened a lot
of doors for me. I was riding with
Kurt just two days before he died
and, still to this day, it's very hard
to take. Kurt won a stage on
his maiden Dakar, and he was
definitely on my mind on every
Dakar stage I've ever ridden.
I like to think he'd be proud of
what I've achieved, and I wish he
was still around so I could thank
him for the part he played in it."
Price's epoch-making victory
signals that the heroes of the
past are just that. The future
belongs to the new wave of
speedsters: Price, Sam Sunder-
land, Matthias Walkner, Antione
Meo, Kevin Benevides, Califor-
nian Ricky Brabec and possibly
some unknown who'll drop
from the clouds. And thanks
to Toby Price, that unknown is
just as likely to be an Aussie or
an American as someone who
lives within a stones-throw of the
Mediterranean. CN
That's the trophy all
off-road riders want.
