Following a dramatic finish on Sunday in Saudi Arabia, Australian motorsports hero and two-time Dakar champion, Toby Price, has claimed second place in the bike category of the 45th Dakar Rally. Sunday’s finale was the closest finish in decades, with just 43 seconds separating the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider and his team-mate, Kevin Benavides, who was crowned champion.
Competition was tight between the leading bikers in the final stages. Price, 35, entered the 14th and final stage of the Rally in the lead with a razor-thin 12-second advantage ahead of Benavides. But after the final 136km stretch, Price crossed the finish line in Dammam just short of Benavides, in one of the most dramatic finishes on record.
Coming down to the wire after two weeks and over 44 hours of racing, Price reflected on the finish line in Dammam: “Yeah, hard to take at the moment, but at the end of the day I’m going home in one piece, and we got a Dakar trophy.”
No stranger to the race known to break man and machine, Price remains the only Australian to win the famous Rally in any category, with victories in 2016 & 2019. Price demonstrated his championship experience throughout this year’s Rally, delivering a strategic and consistent performance. He has now reached the bike podium in 6 of his 9 Dakar appearances.
Known as the world’s toughest motorsports race, this year’s Rally was a true test of extreme endurance. The longest route since 2014, the race spanned across 15 days and over 5,000 kilometers spread over 14 timed stages. Competitors tackled desert, dunes, and hostile weather conditions as they traversed the Saudi Arabian route.