Rallye

Toby Price Set For Dakar 2019

Posted:

Monday, December 3rd, 2018

10:53 PM

2016 Dakar champion Toby Price, recently crowned 2018 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion, carries top form heading into the 2019 Dakar. Photo: Sebas Romero

Former Dakar Champion Toby Price is now in the final stages of preparations ahead of the 2019 Dakar Rally.

One final test in Abu Dhabi is now all that stands between the current FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion and the 10-day event being held exclusively in Peru begining on January 6th 2019.

Less than two months since he was crowned FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion, Price is already fully focused on the Dakar. The Australian 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 him 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," Price said. "Finishing the Dakar on the podium in third after only just coming back from injury was great.

"The world championship didn‰Ûªt 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‰Ûªm hoping for something similar in Peru.

"It‰Ûªs going to be a bit of a strange Dakar, the route looks like about 70 percent is in the dunes and it‰Ûªs going to be a real challenge, certainly no time to relax. In the past there have been days where you can pace yourself and still get a good result by concentrating on navigation and riding smooth ‰ÛÒ on this one I think it‰Ûªs going to be flat-out from the very beginning.‰Û

Toby Price will be gunning for a second Dakar victory in 2019. Photo: Sebas Romero

Setting off from Lima, the 2019 Dakar Rally will see riders compete for a total of over 5,000 kilometres, 3,000 of which will be timed special stages. With the route consisting of 70 percent sand dunes, the event will be like no other. The organisers have billed the 41st edition as one of ‰Û÷unequalled intensity‰Ûª where navigation, endurance and perhaps more importantly than ever, ultimate speed will be key to a strong result.