Congratulations to all the South Australians who participated in the 2024 Tatts Finke Desert Race! Special kudos to those who completed the gruelling two-day desert challenge. With only 4 out of 57 South Aussies not finishing the entire journey to Finke and back, it’s clear that our team put forth an outstanding effort over the weekend.
Our South Australians made a significant impact on the competition, with 3 top 10 overall finishers, several class podiums, and 14 SA riders securing spots in the class top 10 honours. We certainly held our own at Australia’s premier desert event.
Kent Collins delivered an impressive performance, proving he hasn’t slowed down since his 2023 Finke break. He secured a 7th place overall finish and 6th place in the highly competitive 451cc and Above Four-stroke class, competing against a field of 57 riders. Hot on Collins’s tail, Jamalka King Jay Simister finished 7th in class and 9th overall, just under 20 seconds behind. It was a close race between Simister and Bradley Greenfield, who finished 8th with just 20 seconds separating the two. Tyler Radford also put up a great fight in the 451cc and Above Four-stroke class, achieving a 10th-place class finish and 13th overall.
Jack Colbert showcased his speed and skill, securing 3rd place in the 251cc to 450cc Four-Stroke class out of 89 competitors and 15th outright at weekend end. He trailed the second-place finisher by just over 10 minutes and held off the fourth place by 6 seconds, highlighting the tight competition at the top end of the field.
After winning the 2023 Veterans 55 Years and Over category, Warren Zerna came in strong but couldn’t quite catch up to WA’s Warren Strange, finishing in second place with a solid time of 05:47:12.456. Scott Cossich narrowly missed the podium, finishing in fourth place, while fellow South Aussie Andrew Nicholson rounded out his weekend with a 6th place finish in the class.
In the Finke Women Class, we had 6 out of 19 riders in the top 12, with Emma “Holeshot” Haylock making a remarkable first attempt by securing 3rd place with a time of 05:24:57.059, just 2:47 seconds behind NT’s Taylah Maurice. Aimee Butler narrowly missed the top 3, finishing in fourth place after a strong ride.
Additionally, congratulations to the remaining top 10 class finishers for the weekend:
- Damian Jones secured 8th place in the 251cc and Above Two-Stroke class.
- Oli Pitchford finished 7th in the 251cc to 450cc Four-Stroke class.
- John Harkness achieved 10th place in the Masters 35 to 44 years category.
- In the Women’s Class, Chloe Barton secured 7th place, while Meg Pitchford rounded out the top 10 with a 10th place finish.
Catch up on all the finishing results for the 2024 Tatts Finke Desert Race: HERE.
With many sights set on a 2025 Finke journey, we would like to congratulate all our SA riders who lined up for the 2024 Challenge, whether 2024 was your year or not.
