Toby Price has announced he will again attempt the ‘Iron Man’ Finke Double at the 2018 Finke Desert Race, in Alice Springs, aiming to make history by winning both truck and motorcycle categories.
Price attempted the double for the first time in 2016 and successfully won the motorcycle category, tying him for the most wins in Finke Desert Race history, but was runner-up in his first attempt in the truck category.
In 2017, Price was unable to defend his 2016 motorcycle win due to a femur injury sustained at the Dakar Rally, but drove in the Truck category, only to stop 40km short of the finish line with an engine sensor failure.
The Australian finished 3rd in the 2018 Dakar Rally in January and has had valuable seat time in Trophy Trucks in America and is this year hoping to eclipse the motorcycle categories win record with a sixth win and be the first to claim the Finke Double with a win in the truck category as well.
This year, Price will first run in the Truck Category on Day 1 from Alice Springs to Finke and fly back to the start line in a light aircraft in time for the Motorcycle leg to begin and repeat the 230km ride for the second time.
Price will follow the same procedure on Day 2 driving from Finke to Alice Springs in his Red Bull Trophy Truck and then return to the start line via a light aircraft to complete the Motorcycle leg.
Price is ecstatic to again attempt the ‘Iron Man’ Finke Double and is eager to become the first to claim the title that has escaped him previously.
“Since I attempted the double in 2016 and we didn’t claim the win in the truck category, I’ve been extremely keen to try again and was gutted when I was injured last year and couldn’t do the bike. We’ve had a couple of months to prepare for the truck and the bike and I’m feeling good. I can’t wait to get out and do our first test with the truck, this is going to be extremely challenging but rewarding if we can get it done.”
Price has been preparing his Red Bull Trophy Truck out of Tekno Performance’s state of the art Head Quarters in Yatala, Queensland for the past several months and was grateful to have Cam Gurnett from CRG Design and Wraps to cover the Red Bull Trophy Truck impeccably last week.
The 2016 Dakar Rally Champion has been joined by valued sponsors; Red Bull, KTM Racing, Mitsubishi Motors Australia, Fulcrum Suspensions, BF Goodrich, Can-Am, Macnaught, Patriot Campers, DGI Trading, Comiskey Mining Services, KMC Wheels, Gearwrench, CRG Designs, Milwaukee Tools, KRE Race Engines, Geiser Brothers and Desert Palms Alice Springs in his quest for the Finke Double win.
The Finke Desert Race will run from June 8-11 through the desert country from Alice Springs to the small Finke community in Aputula.