Source: KTM.

Australian Off-Road Champion Toby Price has pulled out of the 2015 International Six Day Enduro (ISDE), instead focusing on his impending rally career in the lead-up to next year’s Dakar in January.

KTM rider Price has been replaced in Team Australia by Lachlan Standford for the ISDE in Slovakia on 7-12 September, with plans instead coming together for Price to ramp up his Dakar Rally preparations alongside the legendary Marc Coma.

“We have some training with Coma in the pipeline and we’re hoping to do the rally in Peru,” Price told MotoOnline.com.au. “We will hopefully be getting ready for Dakar again in January, but it hasn’t been confirmed just as yet.

“I had to let the guys know about the ISDE, which I had to pull out of so the team could get organised, but after finishing second there last year I didn’t even get one offer to do World Enduro or that type of thing. If the rally stuff goes ahead, then it’s definitely going to be more beneficial to plan for Dakar if it all goes to plan.”

Following a miraculous third place finish on debut at Dakar this year as a satellite KTM entry, Price is yet to lock-in a contract for the 2016 running, but has hopes of returning with an improved operation in the new year now with experience on his side. The target is to start focusing on a future in international rally competition, he has confirmed.

“That’s where we’re aiming,” he added. “It opens the door a little bit more to have a longer career racing bikes and basically when you’ve got Coma who’s willing to help and jump on board, there’s no better guy to practice with and learn from. At the moment it’s all up in the air, but we’re hoping to work it out over the next few weeks.”

Australia’s Senior Trophy squad at the 205 ISDE will now feature Stanford alongside Josh Green, Daniel Milner, Matthew Phillips, Beau Ralston and Josh Strang.