EXCLUSIVE: Toby Price reflects on 'rollercoaster' 2023 Dakar Rally that 'haunts me to this day'

Imagine reading a newspaper while driving from Sydney to Perth, then back to Sydney, and then halfway back again to Alice Springs — all in two weeks.

Now imagine that journey across unknown desert terrain, your only companion the drone of a dirt bike engine at 6,000rpm.

That, according to two-time Dakar champion Toby Price, offers a mere glimpse into the gruelling test of the Dakar Rally.

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Price features in a new film about the world's toughest race, titled "Dakar: Race Against the Desert".

Filmed over 18 months, the documentary follows the stories of several racers during the 2023 edition, providing an unfiltered look at the resilience and determination needed to make it through the endurance event.

Speaking to Wide World of Sports, Price explains that being showcased in the film "added pressure" to what were already stressful conditions in the Saudi Arabian desert.

Price's 2023 campaign had its challenges and ultimately ended in heartbreak.

"This one had its highs and its lows, it took me through a bit of a rollercoaster," he says.

On stage five, another rider, Joan Barreda Bort, crashed in front of Price while attempting to overtake, and the Hillston product was unable to avoid him.

They collided with Price thrown over his handlebars.

"We're in the middle of the desert, we've got thousands of acres to play with and one guy decides to crash right beside me and wipe me out as well," Price says.

While he landed on his shoulder, fortunately, Price was not more seriously injured.

"No sprain or any broken bones, luckily. Nine times out of 10, when you fall off a motorcycle, you break something," he says of the fall.

Rising to his feet, feeling stiff and sore, Price stopped to ensure his rival was okay before continuing the stage.

"It threw a spanner in the works, it wasn't planned but it happened and you've just got to deal with that situation and try to get yourself through to the other side," Price says of the crash.

"It's hard when it's not your fault, you had everything in control, but this is something outside of your control. That's part of the sport.

"You've got to take the good days, and the bad days all the same."

A unique part of the Dakar is that the racers do not have access to helmet communications systems, so they have no idea what is happening around them or where their competitors are positioned during each stage.

"As soon as we leave our crew in the morning, we are completely on our own," Price says.

"You don't know if you're being caught or if you're making time, so it really is an element of the unknown.

"I didn't know this rider was catching and then he just got beside me and I saw him. Next thing, I saw his bike completely sideways and then the thing speared off in front of me.

"I clipped him and over I went too."

With over 44 hours of racing, there is also time to make up lost ground and that is exactly what Price did as he climbed the overall classification.

"It is such a long event and anything can happen," Price says.

"You might have that one bad day where it feels like the world is crashing down on you and it's a hard thing to try and be mentally strong and put that behind you because you've still got more days of racing to come.

"And the day you've just had can come for any of the other riders in the group, so then you're all back on a level playing field again.

"The biggest lesson I've been taught from this race is to never give up and to never quit."

Price led the rally heading into the final stage before falling just short of a third Dakar title.

He finished in second place, just 43 seconds behind his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Kevin Benavides. The result is the closest winning margin in the event's history.

"To lose the race by 43 seconds still haunts me to this day," Price says

"After a 9,000 kilometre rally, to lose by that much, it comes down to little mistakes that you made over one or two stages.

"Unfortunately, it's how it panned out."

Another distinctive feature of the Dakar at the time was the use of paper roadbooks.

While the bikes category was testing digital roadbooks in 2023, riders still relied on paper ones to find their way through rough terrain.

Riders used a mechanical holder to read through the paper instructions for navigation while riding, following pictograms, compass bearings and route notes like a map.

"There is no marked race course and there is no one out there to point you in the right direction; it's all navigated on the fly at 160km/h," he points out.

Because of this, getting lost is a real possibility and can prove costly.

"We missed a waypoint by a couple of metres and that's what changed the result for me," Price says.

"I came in with a 12-second lead on the last stage and it all got reversed and flipped upside down.

"But I can hold my head high, I gave it 100 per cent every day. I knew I was a top contender, so to come away with second, I made peace with that.

"And I walked away in one piece, so the biggest win out of the lot.

"The main goal going into the race is to finish at the end of the two weeks, and if you can do that, that's a win in anybody's book."

Dakar: Race Against the Desert is available to buy and rent from Wednesday, May 14.