Finke Desert Race

Last updated

Tatts Finke Desert Race Logo.jpg
Country Northern Territory, Australia
Inaugural event 1976
Official Website finkedesertrace.com.au

The Finke Desert Race is an off-road, multi-terrain two-day race for motorbikes, cars, buggies and quad bikes through desert country from Alice Springs to the small and remote community of Aputula (called Finke until the 1980s) in Australia's Northern Territory. The race is usually held each year on the King's Birthday long weekend in June. "Finke", as it is commonly known, is one of the biggest annual sporting events in the Northern Territory. [1]

Contents

Track

Encompassing about 229km each way, the Finke Desert Race travels through many properties on its way to end up crossing the Finke River just north of Aputula. The track is divided into five sections:

History

The race started in 1976 as a "there and back" challenge for a group of local motorbike riders to race from Alice Springs Inland Dragway to the Finke River and return. After the success of this initial ride, the Finke Desert Race has been held annually on the King's Birthday long weekend ever since. The race is run along sections of the Central Australia Railway along a winding corrugated track, which goes through the outback terrain of red dirt, sand, spinifex, mulga and desert oaks. Even though the railway line was realigned and rebuilt in the early 1980s, with the old tracks being pulled up, the race continues along its original course.

While originally the Finke was only a bike race, its increasing popularity saw the introduction of cars and off-road buggies in 1988. A rivalry developed between the two and four wheelers, as the buggies were keen to claim the "King of the Desert" title. For eleven consecutive years the bikes were too quick for the cars despite the gap constantly narrowing. Finally in 1999, a buggy returned home first to claim the honour, with the bikes winning back the title in 2000 and 2001. From 2002 until 2004 the buggies held onto the "King of the Desert" title. In 2005 the title was changed to see two "Kings of the Desert", one for the cars and one for bikes, each picking up $10,000 for their effort. The last bike to beat the cars time was Michael Vroom in 2001 on his Honda CR500.[ citation needed ]

COVID-19 impact

The 2020 race was cancelled for the first time in the event's history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This cost the economy of Alice Springs about $8 million. [2] In 2021 about 200 Victorian competitors, plus race officials, were unable to attend when the Northern Territory classed all of Victoria as a hot spot after the state entered its fourth lockdown. [3]

2021 fatal crash

During the 2021 race, a vehicle struck spectators just 35 kilometres short of the finish line. One person was killed and two others, including the driver, were hospitalised. The remainder of the event was subsequently cancelled, meaning the bike race was not completed. [4] The buggy category had already been won earlier that morning. The winning racer, Toby Price, had previously won in the bike category six times, and therefore became the first person to have won in both the bike and buggy categories. [5]

Media coverage

A 2018 television documentary Desert Daredevils: The Finke Desert Race [6] and Finke: There and Back described the experiences of some racers. [7]

Highlights are available to watch on 7plus. [8]

List of winners

[9] [10]

YearBikes winnerVehicleStateRun timeCars winnerVehicleStateRun time
1976Geoff CurtisYamaha 250Northern TerritoryNot held
1977Phil StokerSuzuki 370Northern Territory
1978Geoff Curtis Yamaha XT500 Northern Territory
1979Peter Stayt Yamaha XT500 Northern Territory
1980Geoff CurtisYamaha 400Northern Territory
1981Phil LovettKTM 390New South Wales
1982Phil LovettKTM 495New South Wales
1983Stephen GallYamaha 490New South Wales
1984Peter StaytYamaha 490Northern Territory
1985Phil LovettKTM 495New South Wales
1986Stephen Gall Yamaha XT500 New South Wales
1987David Armstrong Kawasaki KX500 Queensland
1988Alan RoeHonda CR500Northern TerritoryJohn Fidler/Peter LewisCorvetteNorthern Territory
1989Mark WinterHonda CR500Northern TerritoryGary Nicolle/Jo ReedBuggyNorthern Territory
1990Mark WinterKTM 540Northern TerritoryGary Nicolle/Neil ShegogBuggyNorthern Territory
1991Randall GregoryHonda CR500Northern TerritoryKeith Poole/Peter WalkerBuggySouth Australia
1992Randall GregoryHonda CR500Northern TerritoryGreg Schlein/David FellowsBuggyNorthern Territory
1993Randall GregoryHonda CR500Northern TerritorySteven Graydon/Tony GraydonBuggyWestern Australia
1994Randall GregoryHonda CR500Northern TerritoryKeith Poole/Peter WalkerBuggySouth Australia
1995Randall GregoryHonda CR500Northern TerritoryBob Mowbray/Janette MowbrayBuggyNew South Wales
1996Dan AshcraftHonda CR500United StatesKeith Poole/Peter WalkerScorpion VW BuggySouth Australia
1997Stephen GreenfieldHonda CR500Northern TerritoryPaul SimpsonJimco BuggyVictoria
1998Stephen GreenfieldHonda CR500Northern TerritoryMark Burrows/Michael ShannonCougar BuggyVictoria
1999Rick HallHonda CR500Northern TerritoryMark Burrows/Michael ShannonCougar BuggyVictoria
2000Stephen GreenfieldHonda CR500Northern TerritoryMark Burrows/Michael Shannon2200cc Turbo BuggyVictoria
2001Michael VroomHonda CR500Northern TerritoryDavid Fellows/Tony PintoSouthern Cross 2500cc BuggyNorthern Territory
2002Rick HallHonda CR500Northern TerritoryMark Burrows/Michael ShannonJimco 2000cc BuggyVictoria
2003Darren GriffithsKTM 540Western AustraliaMark Burrows/Colin HodgeJimco 2200cc Turbo BuggyVictoria
2004Stephen Greenfield Honda CRF450R Northern TerritoryDavid Fellows/Tony PintoJimco 2200cc BuggyNorthern Territory
2005Jason Hill Honda CRF450R Northern TerritoryShannon Rentsch/Ian RentschChenowth 2000cc BuggyVictoria
2006Ryan Branford Honda CRF450R Northern TerritoryShannon Rentsch/Ian RentschChenowth 2000cc BuggyVictoria
2007Ben Grabham Honda CRF450R New South WalesHayden Bentley/Ben ChivellJimco BuggySouth Australia
2008Ben Grabham Honda CRF450R New South Wales04:04:43David Fellows/Andrew Kittle/Jason AdamiJimco 2000 Series BuggySouth Australia
2009Ben GrabhamKTM 505 XC-FNew South Wales04:01:26David Fellows/Andrew KittleJimco 2000 Series BuggySouth Australia
2010 Toby Price KTM 450 SX-FNew South Wales04:03:25David Fellows/Mark BergaminJimco 2000 Series BuggySouth Australia
2011Ben GrabhamKTM 450 SX-FNew South Wales03:58:59Greg Gartner/Jamie JenningsFord F150South Australia
2012 Toby Price KTM 450 SX-FNew South Wales03:57:03Brad Gallard/Rick Geiser/Scott ModistachTrophy TruckSouth Australia
2013Todd Smith Honda CRF450R New South Wales04:02:08Hayden BentleyRacer BuggySouth Australia
2014 Toby Price KTM 500 EXC New South Wales03:56:29Shannon Rentsch/Ian RentschJimco BuggyVictoria
2015 Toby Price KTM 500 EXC New South Wales03:52:54Shannon Rentsch/Ian RentschJimco BuggyVictoria
2016 Toby Price KTM 500 EXC New South Wales03:46:55Glenn Owen/Mathew RyanJimco BuggyVictoria
2017Daymon StokieYamaha WR500FNorthern Territory04:11:12Shannon Rentsch/Ian RentschJimco BuggyVictoria
2018 [11] Toby Price KTM 500 EXC-FQueensland03:55:25Shannon Rentsch/Ian RentschJimco Aussie SpecialVictoria
2019 [12] David WalshKTM 500 EXC-FNorthern Territory03:56:01Jack Rhodes/David PulinoJimco Aussie SpecialSouth Australia
2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 [13] David WalshKTM 500 EXC-FNorthern Territory01:45:34 [lower-alpha 1] Toby Price/Joseph Weining/Mark DuttonTrophy TruckQueensland
2022 [14] David WalshKTM 500 EXC-FNorthern Territory03:35:45 Toby Price/Jason DuncanTSCO Trophy TruckQueensland
2023 [15] [16] David WalshKTM 500 EXC-FNorthern Territory03:35:48 Toby Price/Jason DuncanTSCO Trophy TruckQueensland03:21:46
2024 [17] David WalshKTM 500 EXC-FNorthern Territory03:38:12Beau Robinson/Shane HuttMason Gen 2 Spec TTWestern Australia03:28:44

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakar Rally</span> Off-road rally raid

The Dakar Rally or simply "The Dakar", formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally", is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal. Security threats in Mauritania led to the cancellation of the 2008 rally, and events from 2009 to 2019 were held in South America. Since 2020, the rally has been held in Saudi Arabia. The event is open to amateur and professional entries, professionals typically making up about eighty percent of the participants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Springs</span> Town in the Northern Territory, Australia

Alice Springs is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin and Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd, wife of the telegraph pioneer Sir Charles Todd. Known colloquially as The Alice or simply Alice, the town is situated roughly in Australia's geographic centre. It is nearly equidistant from Adelaide and Darwin.

Yuendumu is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia, 293 km (182 mi) northwest of Alice Springs on the Tanami Road, within the Central Desert Region local government area. It ranks as one of the larger remote communities in central Australia, and has a thriving community of Aboriginal artists. It is home to Pintubi Anmatjere Warlpiri (PAW) Media, which produced the TV series Bush Mechanics.

Aputula is a remote Indigenous Australian community in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is 317 km (197 mi) south of Alice Springs and 159 km (99 mi) east of Kulgera roadhouse on the Stuart Highway, near the border with South Australia. The Finke River, which is dry for most of the year except during occasional floods and is part of the Lake Eyre basin, passes within a few kilometres of the community.

Finke may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime in the Northern Territory</span>

Crime in the Northern Territory is managed by the Northern Territory Police, the territory government's Department of the Attorney-General and Justice and Territory Families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacDonnell Region</span> Local government area in the Northern Territory, Australia

The MacDonnell Regional Council is a local government area of the Northern Territory, Australia. The region covers an area of 268,329 square kilometres and had an estimated population of 6,863 people in June 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in the Northern Territory</span> Australian sport

Many sports are played in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Titjikala, also known as Tapatjatjaka and formerly known as "Maryvale" is an Aboriginal community in the south of the Northern Territory of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of the Northern Territory</span>

The Northern Territory (NT) occupies the north central part of the continent of Australia. The Northern Territory borders are to the west with Western Australia, the Western Australia border being near the 129° east longitude. The NT to the south with the South Australian border being the 26th parallel south latitude. To the east the NT with the Queensland border along the 138° east longitude.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Off-road racing</span> Format of racing

Off-road racing is a form of motorsports consisting of specially-modified vehicles including cars, SUVs, trucks, motorbikes, quadbikes and buggies racing in off-road environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Price</span> Australian motorcycle racer

Toby Joseph Price OAM is an Australian off-road and enduro motorcycle racing world champion. He lives in Gold Coast, Queensland, and rode for the KTM Off-Road Racing Team until October 2015. He now represents the Red Bull Factory KTM Rally Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Africa Eco Race</span> Northern Africa annual rally raid

Africa Eco Race is an annual rally raid, organised in France and run in North and West Africa, launched after the cancellation of 2008 Dakar Rally, and the subsequent moving of the rally to South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Dakar Rally</span> 38th edition of the Dakar Rally

The 2016 Dakar Rally was the 38th edition of the event and the eighth successive year that the event was held in South America. The event started in Buenos Aires, Argentina on January 2, then ran through Argentina and Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Dakar Rally</span> 42nd edition of the Dakar Rally, held in Saudi Arabia

The 2020 Dakar Rally was the 42nd edition of the event and the first edition held in Saudi Arabia. The event started in Jeddah on 5 January and finished in Al-Qiddiya on 17 January after 12 stages of the competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Dakar Rally</span> Rally raid event in Saudi Arabia

The 2021 Dakar Rally was a rally raid event held in Saudi Arabia and the 43rd edition of the Dakar Rally. The event was held for 14 days, starting from 3 January and ended 15 January 2021. It was the second time Saudi Arabia had hosted the event, with support from the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation. The race started and ended in Jeddah, allowing the competitors to venture through the desert and alongside the Red Sea. The route consists of one prologue stage and 12 normal stages, with one rest day in Ha'il on 9 January. The rally was originally intended to run through 2–3 additional countries, with Egypt and Jordan being rumoured likely candidates. However, due to travel and border restrictions implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the route stayed entirely within Saudi Arabian territory.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Northern Territory is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Dakar Rally</span> Rally event

The 2022 Dakar Rally was a rally raid event held in Saudi Arabia and the 44th edition of the Dakar Rally organized by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). The event took place between 1–14 January 2022. This was the third time Saudi Arabia had hosted the event, with support from the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation. The race started in Ha'il and ended in Jeddah, going through canyons and cliffs in the Neom region, passing by the Red Sea coastline, into the stretches of dunes surrounding Riyadh, with a lot more action on sand dunes in the Empty Quarter. The route consisted of one prologue stage and 12 normal stages, with one rest day in Riyadh on 8 January.

Alice Springs Inland Dragway, also known as ASID is a motorsports complex located 13 km (8.1 mi) south of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia. Owned and operated by the Central Australian Drag Racing Association (CADRA), it is the only purpose-built quarter mile drag racing venue in regional Australia and is sanctioned by the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) and Motorsport Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damien Ryan (politician)</span> Australian mayor

Damien Ryan is a community leader and advocate from Central Australia and the longest serving Mayor of Alice Springs.

References

  1. The bikes only contested the first leg.
  1. "Finke Desert Race Official Website".
  2. "Finke Desert Race cancelled due to coronavirus, costing Alice Springs millions". ABC Alice Springs . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  3. Brash, Stewart; Haskin, Emma (4 June 2021). "Finke Desert Race dreams turn to dust for hundreds of Victorians". ABC Alice Springs. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  4. "Finke Desert Race racing vehicle crashes, killing spectator near finish line". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 June 2021.
  5. Jonscher, Samantha (14 June 2021). "Toby Price makes history with buggy category win". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  6. "Desert Daredevils: The Finke Desert Race".
  7. "Finke: There and Back". IMDb .
  8. "Finke premieres on 7plus".
  9. "Hall of Fame". Finke Desert Race. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  10. "Hall of Fame". Finke Desert Race. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  11. Halpin, Thea (11 June 2018), "Finke Desert Race: Champion rider Toby Price wins motorbikes title for the sixth time", ABC News
  12. "Alice Springs rider wins Finke desert race", The North West Star, 11 June 2019
  13. Tuff, Stephen (15 June 2021), "Tragedy halts 2021 Finke Desert Race as Walsh declared winner", Bikesales
  14. Toby Price wins Finke Desert Race-sets new record for overall time Auto Action 13 June 2022
  15. "David Walsh Claims Fourth-Straight King Of The Desert Crown At 2023 Tatts Finke Desert Race", Full Noise, 12 June 2023
  16. Haskin, Emma (12 June 2023), "Motorsport legend Toby Price wins a record ninth Finke Desert Race title", ABC News
  17. Robinson, Lee (10 June 2024). "David Walsh, Beau Robinson crowned winners at 2024 Finke Desert Race in Alice Springs". ABC News.