KTM Australia press release:

KTM’s AORC championship-winning Enduro Racing Team has plenty to fight for entering this weekend’s final stop on the Australian Off-Road Championship calendar at Monkerai, in NSW.

While the team’s off-road and desert racing legend Toby Price extended his 2015 purple patch to include a career-fifth AORC crown last time out at Kyogle, both he and teammates Daniel Sanders and Tye Simmonds are all involved in battles for positions across the hotly contested E2 and E3 classes.

In the E2 category, Simmonds’ pair of podiums last time out moved him to within 13 points of the class lead, and within one point of second-place Husqvarna rider Lachy Stanford in what has been the former motocross pro’s first AORC championship.

Currently sitting fifth in the AORC outright rankings, Simmonds is one of the most talented throttle twisters this country has ever seen and he has shown on numerous occasions that when he and his KTM 450 EXC click with the conditions, there is little they can’t achieve.

The team’s youngster Daniel “Chucky” Sanders has made an incredible success of his first year in the senior ranks aboard the two-stroke KTM 300 EXC, and apart from currently holding a brilliant third place in the outright standings, he is one of only two men who could conceivably take the E3 crown away from Toby Price.

In celebration of his recent title win and what may well be his last AORC appearance for a long, long time as he prepares to launch his career as a professional rally racer with the KTM Factory Red Bull Rally Racing squad, Price has been offered his choice of steeds from KTM’s star-studded enduro racing lineup.

He’s chosen to swing a leg over the two-stroke KTM 300 EXC, setting up a delicious contest in which he will fight his young teammate for the title on equal weaponry.

Toby Price – KTM 500 EXC – “It’s definitely starting to sink in now that this is going to be the last AORC round for a little while. This one is a local for me, just 40 minutes up the road. I’ve decided to go to the 300 EXC 2-stroke for this one, just for a little bit of fun, and to try to stir young Chucky up as well! I expect him to be in front of me, but if he’s not, then he’s definitely not going to hear the end of it from me!
We were over in Spain last week spending some time on the Rally bike, and I think we’ve come up with a decent setting. We get the bike back here next week so we’ll start doing a bit more, then take off at the end of the month to go and do a rally and start getting some practice under our belt.”

Tye Simmonds – KTM 450 EXC “Since we got back from the KTM conference, I’ve just been flat-out mustering out home. We’ve got to pay the bills and when there’s plenty of work I’ve just got to stay out there and keep hauling. At least I’m doing some form of riding I guess. Another new venue for me; we’ve got Cross-Country format tomorrow and Sprint Sunday so I’m looking forward to that. Hopefully we can keep gaining momentum and end up with a good result. It’s pretty close in E2; I’m one point behind Lachy Stanford and then I think Hollis is only a couple behind as well. I’ll just do my best and try to finish up front.
I’ve loved every minute of my first AORC series, we’ve had some good results and got my arse handed to me a few of times as well but it’s been a good learning experience and now I know what my weaknesses are. Now I will have a big off-season, work on those things and come back a lot stronger and fitter.”

Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders – KTM 300 EXC – “Toby’s on the two-stroke this weekend, he’s always wanted to be like me (laughs)! I think there’ll be some bets thrown on the table about who is going to smoke who, but it’ll be a good, fun weekend. It’s going to be dry and dusty, but it is what it is and I’ve just got to try and finish strong. I’m third in the outright standings, so if I can finish there and hold Hollis off, it will be awesome. I couldn’t expect much more from my first year on the KTM team, so if I can pull that off I’ll be rapped. I need to have a consistent, fast weekend and no mistakes.”

Ben Grabham, Team Manager – “It’s great, knowing that we have already wrapped up the outright and it takes a little bit of pressure off, but in saying that it hasn’t really changed any of our approach. Surely Toby is a bit more relaxed, he is jumping on a 300 EXC two-stroke to race Chucky bit more closely in the class, and it’s great to be able to let him enjoy the event a bit more and make the most of what could be his last AORC for quite a while. We had mentioned it in years gone by, that it would be cool to win early and have fun with the final round, so it’s great we’ve got to do it before he goes.
Chucky and Tye are both in pretty tight battles for outright and in their class positions so we’ve got to try to finish them off on two solid rides. Chucky has been stuck in the wet and Tye has been busy mustering goats but I know they are both fast.”

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