Toby Price putting greater priority on four wheels

Australia's two-time Dakar Rally motorcycle winner Toby Price is stepping up a transition to ultimately becoming predominantly a four-wheel racer.

Price's priority this year is winning the Finke Desert Race in the Northern Territory on the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June in a trophy truck.

He's won the Finke six times on two wheels but has failed to emulate that success in three attempts on four wheels.

In six Dakars on motorcycles he has had five podiums, including victories in 2016 and 2019 and third last month when the torture test was held for the first time in the Middle East.

Price has dabbled in Stadium Super Trucks, ute circuit racing and side-by-side (SXS) off-roaders.

Last year he partnered Qatar's Yasser Al-Attiyah – a three-time Dakar winner for Volkswagen, MINI and Toyota and runner-up to 'El Matador' Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia last month – to second in the Baja 1000, the 'granddaddy' of all desert races in Mexico.

He's planning on driving in the Mint 400 – 'The Great American Off-Road Race' which this year will be over four 107-mile (172.2km) laps in the Nevada desert near Las Vegas on March 8 – as well as more SXS competition overseas and at home, as well as a return to the Baja.

He'll also continue in the FIM's Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.

So still plenty of two-wheel racing but increasingly more on four wheels.

At 32, and after 30 broken bones in his bike career, Price's philosophy is that "with age comes cage".

He's intending the balance to be much more on four wheels by the time he's in his mid-30s, with a switch to having bodywork around him on the Dakar in three or four years.

The three four-wheel failures on the Finke gnaw away at him.

In 2017 he was third with 80km to go when he had engine sensor failure. In 2018 he was second after the outward leg of Oz's outback enduro but had a power steering failure. Last year it was a gear failure on the return leg.

Ideally he will get to "do the double" on Finke – win on two and four wheels in the same event.

But for this year he just wants to go to another level on four wheels and says he has a new approach for Finke this time.

"Finke is always one I am trying to do well at and at this year's event [June 5-8] we are doing a lot of different strategies," Price said.

"We are building a new truck with [California-based] TSCO Racing because I am putting everything on the line to try to make this work and finish the event after three years of bad luck.

"We're going all out for Finke with the completely new truck.

"While it's a year with more pressure than ever before, I also have great support from sponsors, a new program and new people behind me.

"If it doesn't quite work this year I don't know what my options are to try to get things across the line in the future, so it's exciting but nerve-wracking at the same time.

"I'm also trying to work out if we can secure a ride on the bike there too.

"If we can do the double there again it would be great.

"I'd like to do the Baja with Nasser again and it would be fantastic to do a couple of SXS rounds again."

Related reading:
Toby Price wins 2019 Dakar Rally
Toby Price wins cross-country world title
Toby Price to race SuperUtes

Australia's SXS championship is over four rounds between May and October, starting at Cessnock in NSW's Hunter Valley.

"Whenever there is a free spot available to go do one of these rounds they are definitely on the cards because it's a fun environment with good events and it's always exciting to compete in them," Price said.

"I have been in chats with Can-Am to do rounds in both the US and here but, due to my schedule, I can't book anything straight away and I need to assess as the year goes on.

"If the stars align and there is an opportunity to race in SXS this year then I will be signed up and ready to go because I really want to do them."