2026 will be the 50-year anniversary of the Finke Desert Race. Unfortunately, as much as he wants to, one of the race’s most decorated competitors will not take part.

Toby Price dominated Finke throughout the 2010s and into the early ’20s. He holds the record for the most overall wins with nine, scoring six on a bike (2010, 2012, 2014–2016, 2018) followed by three in a row in a Trophy Truck from 2021 to 2023. After his ninth title, he stepped away to focus on SCORE, where he’s been competing full time ever since.

While Price had previously raced SCORE and Finke in the same year, the Baja 500 in particular is the main issue. Both Finke and the 500 are held on the first weekend of June, a trend that will remain the case in 2026.

Since the SCORE season is only four rounds long, he can’t afford to miss a race and hurt his chances at a championship. The 500 has also consistently been a strong race for him and Paul Weel, winning in 2024 and narrowly missing out on the 2025 victory.

“I was planning to come back in ’26 but unfortunately it clashes with the Baja 500 next year so it counts me out,” Price commented.

Another snag is that Price doesn’t exactly have a ride for Finke. He was a Mitsubishi factory driver who raced a Triton in his Finke three-peat, but ended the deal when he couldn’t convince the manufacturer to expand their off-road division into rally raids like Dakar. His new partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing also only extends to Dakar and the W2RC. While Price’s legend would surely have interested teams lining up for his services, it’s probably more practical to focus on a series where he already has a seat.

Being the golden anniversary, the 2026 Finke Desert Race figures to be a special one. All bike riders in the 2025 race who started the Prologue were guaranteed a spot for next year, and they along with Cars consequently have such a massive entry list that waitlists had to beimplemented.

Featured image credit: Brett Hemmings / Red Bull Content Pool