Toby Price claims third Hattah in a row
The desert race near Mildura again belonged to the imperious New South Welshman, who came home ahead of Yamaha duo Josh Green and AJ RobertsDefending champion Toby Price claimed his third consecutive KTM Hattah Desert Race victory for Motorex KTM Off Road Racing at Mildura in Victoria on 7-8 July.
On Saturday, Price qualified fastest in the all-important Prologue, setting the pace with a 3:14.053sec. His effort was a full 4.5 seconds quicker than the remainder of the field.
Price was relentless in his quest for victory at Hattah on Sunday, finishing the grueling eight-lap race in four hours, 16 minutes and 21.135 seconds. Price finished 5:48.948sec ahead of his nearest rival aboard the KTM 450 SX-F.
"The Hattah Desert Race came together really well in 2012 and it’s definitely nice to get another win under my belt," Price said after the race. "I was able to qualify fastest in the Prologue, which meant I could take off first and pretty much have a dust-free run on my way to win number three. It was a great win for KTM and for myself."
The Hattah race was a race of firsts for runner-up Yamaha rider Josh Green -- first event on the YZ450F, first attempt of a desert race, first ride back from a broken scaphoid -- but none of these obstacles were able to keep the 22-year-old from success.
And Green wasn’t the only Yamaha racer on the podium, with his team manager, AJ Roberts, coming third.
"I did have one drama -- I was riding my back brake too much and boiled it, which cost me a few minutes," Green said. "Despite that, I finished about five minutes behind Toby Price, so I’m stoked with that.
"Toby gaped me off the start, I was in the dust of Jarrod Bewley and AJ after finishing behind them in prologue.
"Once Toby gaped me I couldn’t get back on him… I hadn’t ridden the track before and you don’t get a pre-ride of it -- Toby, Jarrod and AJ have all raced Hattah before.
"The speed was the biggest shock. People told me it was going to be fast, but when you get there and realise the actual speed you’re going to be going, it’s a big shock.
Everyone is now gearing up for their next event, rounds nine and 10 of the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) being held at Green Park (Conondale, Qld) on July 28-29.
"I’m definitely looking forward to it," Green said. "I had a bit of time off after the Broadford rounds with my broken scaphoid, I was only back on the bike for two weeks before Hattah."
For full results from the 2012 Hattah Desert Race, go to http://www.orion-timing.com/results.htm.
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