KTM Australia press release:

KTM Enduro Racing Team riders Toby Price, Tye Simmonds and Daniel Sanders have given the team its most dramatic results so far this year, with demonstrative trifectas on not one, but both days of the weekend’s South Australian chapter of the Australian Off Road Championships.

Defending AORC champion Toby Price was unstoppable as he charged to victories on both days, but his win in Saturday’s two and a half hour cross-country probably underlined his reputation as much as any round win this year, as Price powered the number one KTM 500 EXC from near last place, past Australia’s best off-road racers to a well-deserved victory, ahead of Simmonds and Sanders. Price’s victory in today’s sprint racing round extended his lead in the E3 category, and his championship lead out to 28 points.

Tye Simmond’s runner-up position today was the former motocross pro’s second of the weekend, and the best result of his very young off-road racing career. His efforts in South Australia have elevated the KTM 450 EXC rider from seventh to fifth in the AORC standings.

The team’s senior class rookie Daniel Sanders (KTM 300 EXC) continues to shine and the weekend’s two, third places behind his older teammates represented another milestone – three outright podiums from his six AORC starts this year.

KTM Off-Road Racing Squad member Ivan Long has been augmenting his desert racing duties with a string of AORC appearances in 2015 and made a good fist of his home round, finishing with 10-9 scores for the weekend. He will now turn his attention towards his major event of the year – Finke.

In the 19 and Under Class, Bolton’s KTM rider Tom Mason extended his lead in the championship standings, finishing first in yesterday’s cross-country and second in today’s sprint races.

Toby Price – KTM 500 EXC – “It was a good venue, out in the middle of nowhere, but the track conditions were awesome. I like riding in the sand and it definitely chopped up in the 2 1/2 hour cross-country. We’re at the halfway mark now in the AORC championship and everything is going good. I’m working hard on things, the boys are working good and the bikes are unreal, so it’s been a good weekend. I came away with the 1-1 but I made it pretty hard to myself on Saturday. I didn’t get off to the best of starts as per usual with the cross-country – really lagging with my starts at the moment – then one of the guys went down on the first turn and I kind of got hung up with him as well, so I came from almost last. My first two laps were pretty fast and solid, and over the 2 ½ hours I picked everyone off and got through the pack, maintained the gap, and got a win there. The Golden Tyres were hooking up really well this weekend, we had a good combination with them.”

Tye Simmonds – KTM 450 EXC “Two seconds is a good result for the weekend so I’m pretty stoked. I can sort of live with coming second to Toby. For me it was a personal best so far this year and for the team it was unreal. It wasn’t all smooth running though; I broke the end of my nose yesterday. With about two laps to go I was coming down a really fast straight in fourth or fifth gear pinned when I got stuck behind a lapper and my vision wasn’t really good coming into the ruts. I got cross-rutted before this single at the end of the straight and tried to straighten it out but before I knew it, I was on my head. I didn’t even get time to put my hands out or anything, I sort of smashed myself and my 40-second lead over Chucky came down about 15 seconds. So I wrecked another helmet, but that’s the way it goes!”

Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders – KTM 300 EXC – “Me and Tye were having some fun all day, battling. It was pretty close between us, came down to within a few seconds today and was pretty close yesterday too. It might have been closer but yesterday I came into get fuel one lap too early and the boys weren’t ready. So that put me back, I lost about 30 or 40 seconds that lap, then I stressed out and the pressure got to me and I crashed five times in the last three laps just trying to push. Tye fell a few times as well; we were going for it out there and it was really good fun. I reckon with a few more laps I would have got him! It was a fun weekend, and I couldn’t have asked for a better one I don’t think.”

Ivan Long – KTM 500 EXC “10th yesterday and a big ninth today. I kind of just ploughed through the back a little bit today, and tried to just keep it up right. The last couple of tests I struggled a little bit, just making little mistakes and a couple of guys were getting closer, but, I just kept driving into it and slowly picked it up a little bit. I’m pretty stoked about it; it’s definitely a goal that I have wanted to achieve, finishing two days straight inside the top 10. The bike was good all weekend, and the KTM500EXC was perfect and conditions that’s for sure. The track got really brutal, and the body were starting to feel it a little bit today, but it wasn’t too bad in the end – I’m glad there’s a two-week break before Finke. That’s for sure.”

Ben Grabham, Team Manager – “We work hard for this, but obviously it’s bloody awesome to get it! We pretty much had a perfect weekend; Tye had the odd little crash and stuff like that and we had a bit of a scare with Toby’s battery this morning when it stopped for us on the parade lap, but other than that it was a perfect weekend. It was a pretty tough track with really deep sand and pretty demanding an all that, but they just all showed they’ve been doing the hard work – all of us have been working hard to try and get the best result possible and we got the result that we wanted. Obviously it’s a great result before heading back to the desert the game. Longy had two solid runs, he was battling it out with Kearney and Stanford so he was going good considering it all.”

For more information on KTM motorcycles visit www.ktm.com.au or www.facebook.com/KTMAustralia.