Racing: Price and Bewley join KTM

Motorex KTM Off-Road Racing has snared the prize signatures of Toby Price and Jarrod Bewley for the 2010 season, joining incumbents Brad Williscroft and Ben Grabham in a powerful four-pronged operation.

The new signings dominated the national scene in 2009, with the Yamaha-backed Bewley showing the field a clean pair of heels to win his first Australian Four-Day Enduro, while the Kawasaki-mounted Price defeated Stefan Merriman (Yamaha) in a nail-biting finish to the Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC).

Price, a former Australian junior motocross champion, was then the leading Aussie home in the 2009 International Six-Day Enduro in Portugal, finishing a very impressive 14th outright.

"KTM is well renowned for manufacturing reliable off-road motorcycles with top shelf components, and this is reflected in our off-road sales," said Williscroft, who also holds a dual role as team manager.  "We felt it was time to invest in Australia's best riders to represent an area where our sales are strongest, and this was in the off-road market.  

"Both Jarrod and Toby Price were very enthusiastic about making the change to KTM, and Ben was equally as enthused to stay on with orange backing after being so successful on the KTM  505 XCR in the 2009 Finke, and Hattah Desert Races."

Bewley will campaign a 250SX-F in the E1 title at next year's AORC, where he will be joined by Price on a 4500EXC-R (E2) and Grabham on a 530 EXC-R in E3.

Grabham will also defend his Finke and Hattah Desert Race crowns, and the team will also contest a number of other longer distance races such as the Condo 750.

This year's E1 rider for KTM, Ben Kearney, is moving to the USA to join his brother Glenn in the famed Grand National Cross Country series.