Meet the Dakar Stage Winner from Down Under (by Russel Colvin)
As an Aussie, it gives me great pleasure to be able to write my own ‘opinion piece’ for ig-gatsch.at about a fellow Australian by the name of Toby Price…
You may have heard of the name over the last few days, he is the bloke from Aberglasslyn which is part of Maitland in New South Wales who now, wait I have to stand up and write this bit, he now sits third overall in his first crack at the Dakar Rally aboard the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team machine. 
I mean really, his first hit out on what is probably the hardest thing that one can do and he currently sits in third spot! Sure, Toby has done super well at long events such as the A4DE (Australian four Day Enduro) and the ISDE which are all back-to-back days like the Dakar Rally, but what he has done over in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile over the last few days has simply been, well unreal!
For those in Europe who may not know who ‘Pricey’ is, he racers for the factory KTM Enduro team down under and has won a record breaking four outright AORC (Australian Off-Road Championship) crowns – 2009-10-12 and last year. Along with four AORC championships, Toby has also claimed the inaugural Enduro-X in 2012 which was held at the Broadmeadows Motocross track. The bloke also won the famous Finke Desert Race held in the Australian outback in 2010 which was in fact his first attempt, if you don’t mind. He also won the Hattah Desert Race the same year, once again in his first hit out. 
Have a look below on the things he has won, it’s just unreal to see what he has done.. Hey we can’t forget about Toby winning all three rounds of the Western Australian Desert Tri-Series, the Kumarina 500 in June, Doorawarrah 500 in July and Indee 500 in August as well!
Away from the race side of things, I would like to give you an insight on what Toby is like for those that have not meet the man, why? Because I’m sure once Dakar is wrapped up, Toby will be a mega star in Europe and around the world where the Dakar is huge! I am very lucky to be able to cover the AORC down under, so I have spent a bit of time ‘hassling’ Toby for pictures and quotes so I can go away do my particular projects for Australian magazines such as Dirt Action and Australian websites such as mcnews.com.au who I do things for when it comes to the AORC, and not only does Toby willing enough gives up his time and makes me feel right at homes, but he always speaks his mind and tells me as it is which is great! But what else stands out is at events such as the Enduro-X where the fan’s comes out to play. He is awesome around the fans which is of course very important for the sport which attracts more and more fans to come out for the future. 
As a rider, he’s great! I think everyone knows that.. But what happened to Toby in 2013 when he came off and hurt himself big time at the AMA Hare and Hound National Championship in Lucerne Valley, CA and was able to ‘hit the reset button’ and go again is what impressed me the most!
I honestly admit, I did not expect Toby to bounce back the way he did in season 2014, let alone so fast! At the opening round of the KTM Enduro-X Championship at Archerfield Speedway he came out and finished third behind two superstars in Daniel Milner and his former teammate, Chris Hollis. 
In an interview I did with Chris Hollis after the Enduro-X round at Archerfield via another Australian website, motoonline.com.au, I asked Hollis about Toby’s come back ride and this is what he said – “It’s Toby’s first race back after a pretty major injury and he had a lot of time off the bike, so he was really impressive. He won the shootout, so he still has the pace. He will be there every single weekend, in and out for sure. He is a tough dude and big congratulations to him on getting third. After the injury he had, he has done a stellar performance today” what an understatement that was… Even Toby’s fellow rivals have so much respect for the man himself! It just goes to show, if you push and try hard enough, dreams come true!
Last year’s AORC title was a standout as well. Six wins from twelve rounds and five second places.. It’s amazing to watch him race, he just seems to know when to push and not to push. He’s a legend, and what he has done so far at the Dakar has just proven that he can jump on anything with two wheels and be right at home with it and be right up there! Next challenge Toby – Superbike racing! I don’t know if it would happen, but my god it would be so cool to see him up against the likes of some of the best Australian road racing boys such as Glenn Allerton and Wayne Maxwell and co. If it ever happened, it sure wouldn’t take him long to find his feet I believe. All I can as the Dakar comes to a close, is go get em’ Toby! Australia is right behind you, hold it on!! (russell colvin)
Some of Toby’s major titles:
2009 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC)
2010 Finke Desert Race
2010 Hattah Desert Race
2010 Australian 4 Day Enduro (A4DE)
2010 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC)
2011 Hattah Desert Race
2011 Australian 4 Day Enduro (A4DE)
2012 Finke Desert Race
2012 Hattah Desert Race
2012 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC)
2014 Finke Desert Race
2014 Hattah Desert Race
2014 Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC)
2014 International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) E3
2014 A Day in the Dirt Motocross Grand Prix