Image: Adam Riemann.

KTM Desert Racing Team’s Toby Price has been relentless in pursuing another victory on day one of the bike competition at the 2014 Tatts Finke Desert Race.

The KTM star had a battle royal with Honda-mounted David Walsh from Alice Springs, but steadily pulled ahead as the race progressed. At the first checkpoint at Deep Well (68km from the start) the gap between the two was 14 seconds.

At the second check point at Rodinga (98km from the start) the gap was 27 seconds in favour of Price, and at Bundooma (140km from the start) Price had extended the gap to 54 seconds.

By the Mount Squires check point (172km from the start) the gap was 1m16s seconds and at the overnight stop at Finke, Price’s KTM was 2m04s ahead of Walsh.

Price’s total time for the trip was 1h58m43s. By comparison last year’s (2013) leading day one time was 2 hours and 23 seconds, recorded by Todd Smith.

In third position in Finke today was Price’s teammate Ivan Long, heading Josh Green and Daymon Stokie inside the top five.

Last year’s winner Todd Smith on the number one Honda CRF450R secured sixth spot on Saturday following the 226 kilometre journey. Four time Finke winner Ben Grabham was seventh at the overnight stop aboard the third factory KTM 500 EXC.

After camping overnight the bike field will leave Finke tomorrow at midday for the run home to Alice Springs.