Toby Price has announced he will step away from his Trophy Truck team with Paul Wheel and navigator Brent Bauman. Major controversy has surround Price at the conclusion of the SCORE San Felipe 250. Price is accused of placing rock obstacles on the racecourse during a pre-run last week. Video surfaced online showing Price at his UTV talking to someone who came up to him out in the desert. The video cuts off before Price is able to respond. It does not show Price actually placing any rocks on the course. Large boulders were reported on the course at that same location to SCORE by other racers Saturday during the race.
SCORE responded Monday by disqualifying Price from the race. In a statement, SCORE said a CRB reviewed evidence submitted. As a result, a decision was made to disqualify Price and navigator Bauman for unsportsmanlike conduct. The statement does not mention any course altering or boulders being placed on the course or what evidence they reviewed. The statement goes on to say After evaluating all materials provided, the CRB concluded that the actions in question were attributable to Toby Price and Brent Bauman. The SCORE CRB is comprised of active and retired SCORE racers across multiple classes.
Price released his own statement Tuesday saying the following:
The past couple of days have been the toughest of my career, which spans over 20 years.
I have been compliant with all investigations both external to the team and internal to the team.
I am aware of the decision of Brent Bauman the team navigator to resign and respect him for that course of action which goes a long way towards taking some responsibility for the outcome off the back of the CRB’s decision. There are times in life when circumstances require significant action and this is one of those circumstances.
The video that is circulating does not provide evidence of me placing any rocks, the witness statement does not provide evidence of me making any rock placement and the conversations at the site where the video was taken were not with me except for me telling a girl I was ok when asked and that I was clearing a new line.
That being said the CRB has made its decision and I am obviously treating this as final and respect the process that they went through to get to it. I have the highest respect for SCORE International and for the people of the Baja Peninsula that provide their cooperation to the event. The safety of everyone competing and spectating in all forms of motorsport should be of paramount consideration.
This is obviously not how I expected the San Felipe 250 to go but it is how it ended up. Despite the fact that I believe a higher standard of proof should be used here given the consequences, I am going to fully respect the decision of the CRB and the court of public opinion.
I will be taking some time off from desert racing and I don’t take this decision lightly given the significant damage. I will reassess the position with the team and whether I will be competing in the series in the near future.
In the meantime, I want to thank Paul for the significant investment he and his family have not only put into this team but also into my career. Paul was obviously not in any way involved in this interaction and has no knowledge it was occurring at the time, as he was located hours away and should not be portrayed negatively.
