Toby Price: Head To Head @ Finke

Can Toby Price become the first man to take both Bike and Car wins at the same Finke Desert Race? Check out the two lids he’ll attempt the feat in.

This weekend, Red Bull Factory KTM Rally Team rider, Toby Price, will join his former Aussie teammates in the Northern Territory for the 2016 Finke Desert Race, and attempt to rack up yet more motorsport milestones. Not only will the 28-year-old Price be gunning for his fifth Outright Finke win (equaling the great Randall Gregory, who won five on the trot from 1991 to 1995); but he’ll also be looking to match the 2014 achievement of his good mate Billy Geddes by completing the 480km trip from Alice Springs to the Aboriginal community of Finke and back again in both the Bike and Car divisions.

As Price is new to desert racing on four wheels, he’s talking down his chances on debut in the hotly contested truck class, and pointing to the fact a lower back injury has hampered his Finke preparation this year. But who’s to say this reigning Dakar Rally champion couldn’t win both two- and four-wheel categories this year? After all, what were the odds that Price would go 3-1 in his first two attempts at the Dakar Rally? Plus Price’s efforts in those maniacal trophy truck races at the Clipsal 500 over the past two years suggest he’s just as handy behind a steering wheel as he is behind a set of handlebars.

Thanks to Transmoto test pilot and helmet painter to the stars, Mark Brown, we got a sneak peek this week into the two Browns Grafix custom-painted lids that Price will be sporting at Finke this year.

“Maybe I was looking into a crystal ball when I painted Toby’s Finke helmet a year ago,” says Brownie. “Check out my Instagram post from 52 weeks ago, when I ran a shot of the helmet I painted for Pricey for the 2015 Finke. On the back, it’s got an image of Toby in a trophy truck with his Finke bike in the back. This year, I had less ‘creative control’ over the look of Pricey’s Finke helmets because he’s now a full-blown Red Bull athlete, and that means Red Bull exercises more control over the brand image on their athletes. The 2016 helmets are a bit more corporate, but it was cool to be involved all the same.”

^ The helmet that Brownie painted for Toby to race the 2015 Finke Desert Race in...

According to President of the Finke Desert Race Club, Antony Yoffa, “It’s a tough ask of any competitor to compete and finish the car section, fly back along the track to the start line in Alice, compete in the bike section, and then do the same again on Race Day 2 – for a total of more than 900km covered.

“Randall Gregory’s achievement in winning five Finkes in a row on his CR500 is legendary. Should Toby achieve the bike win and equal Randal’s record of five wins, I’m sure Randall will be among the first to congratulate Toby,” Yoffa went on to say.

Finke Facts

• Last year, at the 40^th running of the Finke Desert Race, Toby Price’s fourth win gave KTM its sixth win in seven years (only Honda’s Todd Smith has managed to spoil KTM’s run in 2013).
• Price’s four Outright Finke wins came in 2010 (on debut), 2012, 2014 and 2015.
• When Price and his 2015 teammate, Tye Simmonds, went 1-2 at last year’s Finke, it replicated the Finke 1-2 feat of Ben Grabham and Brad Williscroft (aboard those memorable KTM 505XC-F weapons) in 2009, and the Honda-mounted Smith brothers, Todd and Jake, in 2013 – the first and only time two brothers have gone 1-2 at Finke.
• Price’s Red Bull KTM Rally Team boss, Alex Doringer, is attending his first Finke this year; eager to watch his Dakar-winning Aussie charger unleash his ‘sprint-race’ speed. “I was telling a couple of the blokes from Europe how Finke has an average speed of about 125km/h and a top speed of 185-190km/h, and their jaws just hit the ground,” Price told Transmoto, with a laugh. “This year, my KTM rally team boss Alex Doringer is here in Australia to watch so he can see what it’s all about. Hopefully he doesn’t say I’m never allowed to do it again because of how crazy it is!” Price went on to say.

To reflect on Price’s fourth win back at the 2015 Finke, check out this insightful four-part series, produced by the lads from Aussie Racer.