Local families, the McKay, Rowan and Mergards, are overwhelmed by the fact their very close relative, Toby Price, has taken out the Dakar Rally over night. They are pictured at the home of Brenden and Jennifer McKay this morning.
They say that everything in the world can be connected by six degrees of separation. The twin towns doesn’t have to go that far, its just one degree away from the most famous motorcyclist in the world today.
Toby Price on board his KTM.
Former Harden man John Price is Toby Price’s father. He and his wife Pauline could be the proudest parents in Australia today. John left Harden in the 1970s but we won’t let them get too far from anyones minds this Sunday January 17
Toby Price is pictured in the centre of the photograph after claiming the Dakar Rally.
Toby Price has become the first Australian to win any category of the gruelling Dakar Rally. The 28 year old claimed the motorcycle division in this year’s race after placing third on debut last year. He is the first person to win Dakar at his second attempt.
John Price grew up in Harden and is brother to Maryanne Mckay of Harden Bearings and Hardware. Making all of Maryanne and Ken McKay’s children Toby’s first cousins. Including: Brenden Sarah and Amy. The family includes Maryanne (McKay), Carol , Peter, Stephen and John (Toby’s father)
Charlene Madden and her sisters Selena, Felicity and Angela are also Toby’s first cousins.
Jack and Eunice Price were Toby’s grandparents and lived in Harden-Murrumburrah their whole life.
Toby Price suiting up for the gruelling Dakar Rally.
The McKay family is ecstatic at the news and have been tracking Toby’s journey through this years gruelling race. If some of the staff have looked a bit weary over the last two weeks at Harden Bearings and Hardware you can blame Toby. Much of the family has been staying up and watching the rally and their cousin or nephew compete.
The 28-year-old from Newcastle dominated the contest, finishing 39 minutes and 41 seconds ahead of his Slovakian and KTM team mate Stefan Svitko.
By finishing fourth in the 180km final stage he took victory in Argentina to clinch the overall win, and a 15th successive win for KTM in the Dakar Rally.
He will now add the Dakar first place to 5 Australian Off road Championships and Finke Desert race wins in 2010 12 13 and 14.
Toby’s father John Price said the triumph had been years in the making. “Toby started racing when he was four years of age, and it has always been his dream to be the best rider in the world,” he said.
Toby suffered a major set back earlier in his career when he was severely injured in the United states, which makes his story even more compelling. He has overcome an injury that nearly took his life and may have rendered him paralysed.
Toby survived a horror crash in April 2013 in the United States. He has no memory of the crash where he went down in the Mojave Desert in South Eastern California,
Witnesses said Price, despite a heavy concussion, picked up his bike to continue on in the race, he then went to the aid of another competitor who had suffered a similar crash.
Price asked where both he and his fellow competitor were, before stating he was suffering neck pain. It was at this point he was flown to hospital in a helicopter. After scans, doctors rushed into Price’s room to tell him not to move a muscle.
The then 26-year-old had broken his T1 C6, C7 vertebrae, leaving him close to paraplegia.
Two days later lying in his bed he was informed he was not insured and would have to come up with nearly half a million dollars for the surgery needed to fix the bones in his neck.
Unable to raise the money he had to board a commercial flight to Australia wearing a ‘Halo’ Brace around his neck and shoulders.
Toby said “It was scary flying back on a commercial airline with the halo system on my head and a broken neck, but that’s the risk I had to take with the injury to get it fixed,”
Price arrived in Brisbane at 7am on Anzac Day 2013 and was operated on that same day. He had two rods and eight screws inserted in his neck and a vertebrae was fused to not only fix his injury, but to allow him to ride again.
After seven months of rehab, Price got back on the bike and hasn’t looked back. He is now on top of the world and will be a household name in Australia today and into the future.
Toby Price on board his KTM extending his lead in the final stages.
Sarah Rowan was vocal in her support of Toby throughout the event on Facebook.
The following message posted before he won.
” A note to my successful cousin:- We are so very proud of you but probably not for the reasons you are thinking. It’s not for your fame, your first place accolades, trophies, prize money, sponsorship deals and all the spoils that fame can bring.It is for your huge heart, strength, commitment, determination & hard work. For the sacrifices made by you and your whole family, ignoring the haters and being true to yourself no matter the circumstance. It is for all of these reasons and so many more that make us proud of the man you are!!!!”
Toby’s family sacrificed everything for his career. Brenden said “The family sold up everything and moved him closer to the Hunter Valley, they were told early on that Toby was special and that if he wanted to make it he had to be closer to the city to give his talent the recognition it deserved.”
John Price lived in Harden until he was 19 and worked at a bank in Yass before getting married and moving to Mittagong. They then moved out to Hillston where John’s father in law was running a property for a Doctor and needed more people on the farm.
Pauline’s brother Geoff and wife Di, headed west with them and have now settled in Cowra.
Toby’s sister Amanda passed away 4 years ago and Toby always has her close to his heart. Ken said “He would have somewhere on his system, on his helmet or his clothing a purple butterfly, ‘Mini’ loved butterflies and the colour purple.”
“It hasn’t been overnight success it been a 26 year exercise to get to where he is now, he hopped on a motorcycle at 2 years of age” Ken said.
Benden said “They couldn’t find a motorcycle helmet small enough to fit him at 2 years of age so they had to get a kids bicycle helmet and strap it to his head. There was this little kid riding around on a Pee Wee 50 with a toddlers bicycle helmet on. My sisters remember this 4 or 5 year old dubbing them around on a quad bike.”
Ken said “Houses were 14 miles apart so he learnt to ride young.”
Toby had a thirst for extreme sports even at a young age and Brenden recalls a hilarious time when Toby was also involved in water sports. “They had a big pump that would pump water out of a 600mm pipe, Toby would put on a life jacket to make him a bit bigger and we would turn the motor on and the water pressure the pump would produce, would fire him out in to the channel, he loved it.”
Congratulations to Toby. The twin towns and its motorcycle enthusiasts hopes to see Toby visit in the near future.
