Dakar Rally Legend Toby Price Parts Ways with KTM After 15 Years
Toby Price, the Australian off-road racing icon, has announced his split from KTM, ending their 15-year partnership that has seen him achieve immense success in the world of Dakar Rally.
In a social media post on Tuesday, the 36-year-old Price revealed that KTM has decided not to renew his contract, making Dakar 2024 his last event with the Austrian manufacturer. As Price stated, “I do feel like I’m still in my prime and going out there fighting for wins, especially at Dakar, so it’s unfortunate to not have that opportunity to do it in 2025.”
“I do feel like I’m still in my prime and going out there fighting for wins, especially at Dakar, so it’s unfortunate to not have that opportunity to do it in 2025,” Price wrote.
Despite this setback, Price expressed his gratitude to KTM for their support throughout his career, highlighting their collective achievements, including two Dakar wins, several podiums, a World Championship, and their success in Australia.
Price’s association with KTM began in 2010 when he competed in homegrown rally championships in Australia. He later made his Dakar debut in 2015 astride a KTM 450 Rally, securing a stage win in Argentina en route to third place in the overall standings. This impressive outing earned him a seat on the Red Bull-backed KTM Factory Team in 2016, when he made history by becoming the first Australian to win the Dakar outright.
Continued Success and Transition Plans
Price’s second Dakar victory came in 2019, despite a wrist injury sustained during a training event preceding the rally. This triumph marked KTM’s 19th successive Dakar win, a streak that was finally broken by Honda in 2020 when the event shifted to Saudi Arabia.
Although Price has struggled to replicate his previous successes in the Middle East chapter of the Dakar Rally, he has shown a strong interest in transitioning to four-wheel competition, competing in Baja events and winning three consecutive Finke Desert races in Australia. However, his separation from Mitsubishi at the end of last year due to a lack of active programmes in Dakar has left his future plans uncertain.
As the off-road racing community awaits Price’s next move, the question remains: will he join a rival manufacturer to elongate his Dakar bikes career, or make an immediate switch to the cars category, possibly even considering a Porsche 911 Dakar for his future ventures?
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