KTM Off-Road Racing Team riders Toby Price, Tye Simmonds and Daniel Sanders will race together for the first time this year as the 2015 InsureMyRide Australian Enduro-X Nationals series kicks off at Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway this Saturday.

The popular Enduro-X format pits off-road racers against each other and the clock around a specially constructed course of natural and man-made obstacles including monster logs and boulders, with the three-round series decided across events in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The new-look KTM Off-Road Racing Team will see Toby Price racing for the first time since this year’s Dakar Rally, where he crossed the finish line in Buenos Aires with a sensational podium finish that firmly established him as one of the fastest and most versatile off-road riders on the planet.

He and former motocross pro Tye Simmonds will take 4-stroke power into battle, with a pair of KTM 350 EXC-F race bikes, while Daniel Sanders – who was virtually unstoppable in last year’s Transmoto 19 and Under class of the Australian Off-Road Championships – will ride the 2-stroke KTM 300 EX-C.

Another exciting KTM model will be showcased in its natural habitat, with the KTM Freeride 250R chosen as the Flair Action Sports team’s answer to the question of whether a trial bike or an enduro bike is better suited to Enduro-X racing.

Five-time Australian Trials Champion Kristie McKinnon – who came third in last year’s Enduro-X championship – will team up with ace rider and commentator Rhianna Buchanan on the Flair Action Sports Team.

Toby Price: “Everything is feeling pretty good, I’ve been slowly recouping from Dakar. I haven’t had enough enduro-X practice so I’m not quite where I need to be yet, but it’s going to be fun and exciting, and it’s the first round with our new team which is pretty cool. I’m going for the 350 because it suited me just a little bit better. Being the first round, I’m sure they are going to challenge us, so the course is bound to be something pretty special just like it was last year. Everyone will be out there to challenge so you can’t count anyone out really. I’ve just got to try to nail some starts and minimise mistakes and see what the result is. Endurocross is fun, but you can be on fire one minute, and the next minute you’re almost a lap down. One mistake can cost you big time. But that’s what makes it a little bit intriguing and something different.”

Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders: “I’m feeling great. I chose to ride the 300 2-stroke for the Enduro-X series. I’m just used to it from the off-road races. It’s got that light feel and you can change it from really smooth to really aggressive, plus you’ve got that light feel so you can pop it over obstacles a bit easier I think. You’ve got a lighter clutch, and it’s got that torque that allows you to ease it over anything. It’s a little finickier at the starts to get that power down onto the ground, but we’ll see how we go. I’m looking forward to it.”

Tye Simmonds: “I’m feeling pretty good, we’ve been doing quite a bit of riding lately just trying to fine-tune everything, and everything is pretty much sorted. There’s definitely a big difference in going from the 500 to the 350, but I think the 350 is the perfect machine to race in enduro-X, I love the thing. I’ve had a fair bit of time on the practice bike to get ready for it and I’m starting to feel like I’m back in the swing of things – and the 350 feels really good to me.”

Ben Grabham: “We are in as good a shape as we can be. We did our enduro-X testing late last year and the boys were looking pretty good at that stage then. Since then they’ve been doing their thing, Toby’s done Dakar and Tye has done the desert race so the boys have got plenty of seat time. Enduro-X is tricky, I have raced it myself and I know that you can be the fastest guy out there, but luck has a little bit to do with it. As always you make your own luck, and we’ve made as much as we can. We’ve got Toby and Tye on the 350 EXC-F, and Daniel Sanders on his favourite 300 2-stroke. From myself to Mick Carusi our main mechanic, and to everyone over at KTM in Perth it’s a big effort just to make the start line in this first race, so it will be good to get the first big race underway and basically see where we are at.”

Rhianna Buchanan: “I’m pretty pumped for it; obviously it was a great series last year. Kristie and I are both on the KTM Freeride 250R, we haven’t had too long to get used to them, but they feel great – kind of like the perfect cross between the trials bikes that we are used to riding, and a full sized enduro bike. Being narrow and that bit lighter and easier to throw around, I reckon they will be an advantage out there on the track, particularly for smaller riders. It’s no effort at all to lift the front wheel, which makes it a dream hopping up over logs. It should be a whole lot of fun.”

Kristie McKinnon: “I’m feeling confident, I’ve had a bit of time on the KTM Freeride 250 and it’s a really fun bike to ride. I’m pretty excited to get out there and have a play!”

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