Price has dreams of Dakar in Outback

IT’S a big dream that could deliver Australia one of the world’s most iconic sporting events.

Gold Coast motorsport ace Toby Price has called on Dakar Rally organisers to consider one day bringing an edition of the annual race Down Under.

The famous off-road race, described by Price as “our Olympics of motorsport”, has been held in South America since 2009 after security concerns in Mauritania forced a shift from the original route predominantly through Africa.

Price, 30, won the Dakar motorcycle class in 2016 and returned to the podium last month with a third place finish but would welcome a chance to give rivals a taste of his home soil.

“Hopefully somewhere in the next 10 to 15 years it would be rad to try to have one here in Australia,” he told the Bulletin.

“We have got plenty of area … it is usually based on about a 12 or 13 or 14-day race and we cover about 9500km.

“We have got the ground for it. I would love to see some of the competitors dodge and duck and miss some kangaroos out there.”

A possible race route put forward by Price would see a coast-to-coast marathon across Australia, starting at a Queensland city such as Cairns or even Brisbane.

From there, competitors could make their way through the Outback down to Adelaide, up to Darwin and finish in Perth on the western coast.

While Price believes the prospect of such an event is exciting, he acknowledged dollars may talk against Australia’s chances.

The nation would likely have to fork out a significant sum to woo organisers, while many competitors from around the globe would face steeper costs and logistical headaches to race in Australia.

Asked if he would ever wish to have a crack at the traditional course, Price was not holding his breath.

“I’d love for it to go back there one year and do some more racing there and see what the real Paris to Dakar event is all about,” he said. “But I think it’s a very, very, very slim chance of that happening.”