On The Pegs January 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 1 | Page 113

On The Pegs
Vol. 4 Issue 1 - January 2019
P 113
know how things will be with the race held in just one country and with so much
of it in the sand. Strategy will be very important as your start position for the day
can make a huge difference to the results. I believe it will be very close with a lot
of guys fighting for the win, but if everything goes to plan and I can keep to a
consistent pace, I would hope for at least another podium finish.”
Less than two months since he was crowned FIM Cross-Country Rallies World
Champion, Toby Price is already fully focused on the Dakar. Similarly to his team-
mate Walkner, Price endured a challenging start to his 2018 season with some
bad fortune and mixed results hampering his championship hopes. However, a
charge in the latter half of the year took the Australian to victory at the final round
in Morocco and with it he secured his first ever world championship. The 2016
Dakar champion aims to carry that form into Peru and the fast-approaching 2019
event.
“2018 has been an incredible year for me,” says Price. “Finishing the Dakar on
the podium in third after only just coming back from injury was great. The world
championship didn’t start quite like I would have hoped, but I was able to keep
my head together, stay consistent and the results finally came. Everything clicked
in Morocco at that final round and I’m hoping for something similar in Peru. It’s
going to be a bit of a strange Dakar, the route looks like about 70 percent is in the