“AORC competition is getting tougher” Toby Price
He may have dominated the first two rounds of the 2015 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship on the weekend, but defending champion Toby Price says the AORC competition is as fierce as ever.
The Motorex KTM Off-Road Racing rider is seemingly taking all before him at the moment, and stamped his class with an ultra-consistent AORC weekend that saw the 27-year-old take out five of the ten heats that were run across the two rounds.
But Price insists that his successful run has not come easy, and has declared the 2015 AORC series as the most open series he has experienced.
“The competition this year is getting tougher and tougher, so it’s a hard job of keeping everyone at bay,” Price said.
“Everyone is definitely lifting the pace up and the series is getting really professional here now, so it’s good to see.
“It’s always great to start off with a couple of wins and at this stage it’s all going really well, so we can’t complain. The team is working really hard and the bike is good, so hopefully it can stay like that.”
Both AORC rounds at Kilkivan were affected by overly dusty conditions which played havoc with all riders, but Price was adamant the Queensland venue still produced a high-quality standard of racing.
“It was definitely dusty across the weekend, but the tracks were good,” Price said.
“The two tracks were really different; the tracks on Saturday were really fast, while in Round 2 the tracks were a bit more tight and technical – more of an enduro-style of riding – but it was a good mix.
“On Saturday, I got caught up a bit behind Chris Hollis. He had one drama with the bike then he had a little crash, so I got caught in his dust and all the guys behind caught up to me.
“It was then a bit of a mix going back and forth, but we were on the pace in Round 2 so it was just a case of getting through safe and sound.”
After a hectic 12-month schedule, Price admits the time between rounds will provide a much-needed break, but is mindful that there is still plenty of work to be done in preparation for both the next round of the AORC and the coveted Finke Desert Race.
“The body is definitely crying out for a break, but the mind isn’t. The mind wants to keep going and the body is trying to catch up, but there’s been no off-season for me with all the racing we have been doing,” Price said.
“At the end of the day it’s good to keep the momentum going, but every now and then the body needs a bit of a rest, so we’ll have a light week this week and then another hard week at Finke for some testing out there.
“Hopefully the Finke testing doesn’t hinder what we are doing for the Off-Road Championship. It’s always a challenge going back and forth between everything, but it’s a lot of fun.”
The 2015 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship will now head to Hedley, Victoria for Rounds 3 and 4 on April 18-19.
2015 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship results Kilkivan, QLD
Round 1 AORC Outright results
1. Toby Price (E3)
2. Beau Ralston (E2)
3. Lachlan Stanford (E2)
4. Josh Green (E2)
5. Chris Hollis (E2)
6. Daniel Sanders (E3)
7. Tye Simmonds (E2)
8. Glenn Kearney (E3)
9. Stefan Granquist (E3)
10. Scott Keegan (E2)
Round 2 AORC Outright results:
1. Toby Price (E3)
2. Chris Hollis (E2)
3. Beau Ralston (E2)
4. Josh Green (E1)
5. Tye Simmonds (E2)
6. Lachlan Stanford (E2)
7. Daniel Sanders (E3)
8. Glenn Kearney (E3)
9. Stefan Granquist (E3)
10. Scott Keegan (E2)
