Toby Price Shrugs Off Wrist Injury To Win Dakar Rally

How Tough Is This Bloke?


18 January 2019

Sean Maynard

Pic: AFP

While most of the Aussie media is focused on the boys and girls swinging their tennis racquets in Melbourne, Toby Price was battling through immense pain in the Dakar Rally.

In most other sports a broken wrist would be the end of it, but not for this enduro motorcyclist who's made of tougher stuff.

Price held off the challenge of a Chilean bloke called Pablo to become a two-time winner of the widely respected and equally feared Dakar Rally in South America.

The Australian went into the 112 kilometre final stage with a narrow 1 minute lead but luck was on his side when 2nd placed Pablo Quintanilla fell - allowing Price to go on and win.

The 31 year old first won the event in 2016 and finished 3rd in 2017 and 2018 and he was joined on the podium by fellow KTM riders Matthais Walkner and Sam Sunderland.

It's also bike manufacturer KTM's 18th straight win at the world's toughest rally event, covering more than 5000 kilometres.

In the cars, Toyota's Nasser Al-Attiyah became a three-time winner finishing with a 46 minute advantage over Mini's Nani Roma to give the Japanese car giant its first success in the main category.

9-time world rally champ Sebastien Loeb completed the podium in a privateer Peugeot.