With only one day left, the Tatts Finke Desert Race is getting ready to kick off again for 2024 in Alice Springs, where a great group of South Australian rides will converge to challenge each other and themselves, along the old Ghan railway line.
Among the 341 competitors preparing for the legendary Finke journey this weekend, 57 are South Australian talents — including both seasoned Finke veterans and enthusiastic newcomers — poised to make 2024 their breakthrough year.
For those unfamiliar with the event, the Tatts Finke Desert Race, commonly known as “Finke,” was first held in 1976 and has since become Australia’s premier desert event. Finke holds the title of the largest sporting event in the Northern Territory, attracting hundreds of competitors from around the globe. Spanning 460 kilometres of challenging desert terrain, the race tests the limits of even seasoned desert racing professionals, with many competitors failing to reach the finish line on the final day. In previous years, the course has seen participation from bikes, cars, buggies, and quads. However, for the 2024 event, entries are not open to quads.
Competitors begin the weekend by competing in the prologue, a time trial that determines the starting order for Stage 1. On the first official day of the race, participants travel from Alice Springs to the small Aputula (Finke) community, covering approximately 226 kilometres. After resting overnight, they make the return journey the next day, navigating demanding deep sand, rough corrugated tracks, and flat-out high-speed sections.
No South Australian has claimed the outright Finke honours, but 2024 may see a change to that. With previous top 5 finishes and a return after missing out on the 2023 Finke, Kent Collins is a strong favourite to make 2024 his year to finally seize the overall victory. He won’t be alone in this endeavour; Brad Greenfield, another formidable contender, joins the South Australian lineup to tackle the course. Additionally, Jay Simister, with his proven sand racing skills demonstrated by winning the Jamalca 360, is joining the SA Finke charge for 2024.
After clinching the top spot in last year’s Veterans 55 Years & Over category, Zerna Warren is back, aiming to secure another class win.
Going from strength to strength, 2024 sees a great lineup of women set to fly the South Aussie flag. After a 5th place finish in 2023, Aimee Butler is back, and joining her is the expertise of Chloe Barton, Leticia Foster, Meg Pitchford, and Heidi Giersch. Making her 2024 Finke debut, Emma Haylock is keen to get cracking after plenty of pre-event preparation and testing.
Among the fresh faces making their Finke debut in 2024, Ryan Waldhuter will join his brother James in taking on the unforgiving outback.
Motorcycling SA wish all of our South Australian riders good luck this weekend – ride hard, ride safe, and cross the line on Monday!
You can follow all of Team SA, and all of the riders & drivers on the live scores at; www.finkedesertrace.com.au
Presenting our 2024 SA Finke Racers –
| NAME | RACE NUMBER | MACHINE |
| Timothy Alcock | 226 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Jesse Bannister | X95 | GASGAS EC450F |
| Chloe Barton | 982 | HUSQVARNA FE 350 |
| Aaron Berthelot | 487 | KTM 250 EXC-F |
| Jake Blundell | 649 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Jaylon Bobstchinski | X27 | HUSQVARNA FE 450 |
| Aimee Butler | 998 | HUSQVARNA FE 250 |
| Bailey Caire | 235 | HUSQVARNA FE 501 |
| Jack Colbert | X77 | HUSQVARNA FX 450 |
| Kent Collins | 16 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Scott Cossich | 824 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Lindsay Cox | 520 | YAMAHA WR450F |
| Benjamin Dixon | X32 | KTM 350 EXC |
| Adam Dutton | 538 | KTM 450 EXC-F |
| Leticia Foster | 911 | HONDA CRF250RX |
| Heidi Giersch | 995 | HUSQVARNA TE 300 |
| Matt Gray | 725 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Bradley Greenfield | 15 | KTM 500 EXC |
| Jason Griffin | 627 | KTM 350 EXC-F |
| Joshua Griggs | 588 | KTM 350 EXC-F |
| Kiah Grillett | 996 | YAMAHA YZ250F |
| John Harkness | 659 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Doug Hayden | 344 | KTM 250 EXC |
| Emma Haylock | 987 | HUSQVARNA FC 250 |
| Trent Headland | 685 | KTM 500 EXC |
| Colbey Herft | 257 | SHERCO 500 SEF FACTORY |
| Jethro Hilton | X16 | KTM 450 SX-F |
| Liam Jenkins | 322 | YAMAHA YZ250X |
| Damian Jones | 197 | HUSABERG TE 300 |
| Nathan Kelly | 744 | HONDA CRF450X |
| Tom Kilgariff | 719 | HONDA CRF450R |
| Trevor King | 760 | KTM 450 EXC-F |
| Stuart Knaggs | 682 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Keegan May | 657 | KTM 350 EXC-F |
| Michael Mcalister | 238 | KTM 500 EXC |
| Zac Myer | 234 | HUSQVARNA FE 501 |
| Tate Nettle | 521 | KTM 450 EXC-F |
| Andrew Nicholson | 859 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Dion Nyaningu | 552 | HONDA CRF450R |
| Nicholas Pangoulias | 508 | HUSQVARNA FE 450 |
| Meg Pitchford | 973 | HUSQVARNA FE 250 |
| Oli Pitchford | 537 | HUSQVARNA FX450 |
| Matthew Powell | 712 | HUSQVARNA FE 450 |
| Tyler Radford | 293 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Alistair Riddoch | 723 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Jay Simister | 13 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Justin Simpson | X09 | YAMAHA YZ450FX |
| Luke Smith | 634 | GASGAS EC500F |
| Clayton Snelling | X21 | HONDA CRF450 |
| Daniel Snelling | 797 | YAMAHA YZ250 |
| Jamison Snelling | X20 | HUSQVARNA FC 450 |
| James Waldhuter | 416 | YAMAHA YZ250F |
| Ryan Waldhuter | 569 | HUSQVARNA FE 350 |
| Timothy Walker | X05 | KTM 350 EXC-F |
| Jayden Watkins | 208 | KTM 500 EXC-F |
| Thomas Winter | X87 | HUSQVARNA FE 450 |
| Warren Zerna | 898 | KTM 500 EXC-F |