2016 Finke desert race and after-
adventure
If you’ve never visited the outback,
you really should
Our Values
Finke Desert race 2016
A group of dirtbike mates have taken on the challenge in the veterans category under a new Banner 'M8s Racing'.
Day -29 to Finke
Roy and Pete
getting in some serious reality checks on sand and whoops out at Rivervale at the end of April.
Day -28 to Finke
Some history
The Finke desert race has been held on the June long weekend
Day -27 to Finke
Day -23 to Finke
trip to the Alice
Paul and I rode our GS BMW‘s to the Alice
Day -20 to Finke
Finke desert race 2016 part two.
Time is getting close and the boys are getting serious.
Day -13 to Finke
Canberra to Renmark
Loaded up and ready to go
Day -12 to Finke
Renmark to Cooper Pedy
Another long transport section,
Day -11 to Finke
Alice Springs
680 8K through glorious outback Oz
Day -10 to Finke
Rest day in the Alice.
Tomorrow we hit the track
Day -9 to Finke
first pre-run of the track.
Starting to get serious today
Day -8 to Finke
Alice Springs
we were lucky to catch the start of the flow of the Todd River
Day -3 to Finke
Alice Springs
working on their bikes
Wednesday Day -1 to Finke
Fiona and Paul arrive
walking the prologue track
More below
Thursday West Macdonell ranges
Sightseeing
Gosse Bluffe
Friday Day one scrutineering
Scrutineering
from 2 pm out at the track
Day two; prologue.
Prologue
This is the pre-race to determine starting positions
Race day one; Alice to Finke
Race 226km to Finke
Sign on 9:45 am.
Race day two; Finke to Alice
Race 226km back to Alice
Camping out at Finke overnight
Starts Wednesday; the trip home.
On the way to rainbow Valley
Arrive Kings Canyon resort
March 2016
Finke Desert race 2016
A group of dirtbike mates have taken on the challenge in the veterans category under a new Banner ‘M8s racing’.
Day -30 to Finke
Day -29 to Finke
Rivervale
Roy and Pete getting in some serious reality checks on sand and whoops out at Rivervale at the end of April.
Day -28 to Finke
Roy and Pete; racers
The Finke desert race has been held on the June long weekend for the last 40 years, today regarded as the off-road version of the annual Bathurst touring car race.
Finke is a small town (of less than 100 people) near the Alice a.k.a. Alice Springs, located in the Northern Territory, or near the middle, of Australia.
June, for those in the northern hemisphere is the middle of winter in Australia. So although it is desert country and warm around 20° C through the day it gets really cold freezing even at night.!
A bit of background
The event is open to motorbikes and cars. In 2015 there were approximately 600 Bikes and 132 cars entered.
The event comprises a prologue on the Saturday of the long weekend. The prologue is a timed one-lap dash on a closed dirt circuit on the outskirts of Alice Springs and determines your starting position for the 226 km sprint to Finke on Sunday. Your time on track on Sunday determines your starting position for the 226 km sprint back to the Alice on Monday.
My Finke aspirations started decades ago. I have a history of racing motocross and road racing at National level. The Finke Desert race has always been passionately on my to-do list and now that I’m having a gap after taking a package from work (of 36 years) I have the time to commit and compete in the 2016 running of the event in the veteran class (45+ years of age), I’ll be 57.
Day -27 to Finke
The team
Fiona (wife and team photographer and bankroller) Pete (competitor and longtime trail riding buddy), Lisa (a.k.a. Lou, Pete’s daughter), Pete‘s mum and dad, Paul (a.k.a. Penno, support and fellow dirtbike ride), Dave (support and ex Alice local), Ian and Rhonda (in-laws), Linda and Paul (Fiona‘s cousin and her partner) and present in spirit only due to other commitments, Rob, M8s racing member.
Crucial preparation
Crucial preparation steps for the leader:
- fix my knee: upper tibial osteotomy (the doctor breaks my leg).
- get hitched: made an honest woman out of Fiona.
- get fit: 40 to 60 km bicycle ride with hills every second day for a year
2 km swim every other day for a year
Hammer Nutrition supplements.
Ride dirt bike as much as possible.
4. Bike modifications:
Starting material – Yamaha 2012 WR 450 F.
IMS 11.5 L fuel tank
MSC steering damper.
Steg pegs
15/47 gearing (standard was 13/50)
GDR front and rear suspension modification
Michelin Desert race rear tire
Michelin star cross five front tire
Michelin star cross five medium rear for prologue
Lithium battery.
T MD DesignWorks chain guides
Moto X art graphics
5. Logistics:
Book accommodation at least 12 months in advance.
Reconnaissance; a trip to the Alice and Finke November before and make friends with the locals.
Book accommodation for the trip there; Canberra to Renmark to Coober Pedy to Alice Springs.
Join a motorcycle club.
Get National race license.
Enter the race.
Leave Canberra 28th of May towing the Yamaha and Petes KTM with Dave in separate four-wheel-drive. Early.
6. Race schedule: arrive in Alice Springs on 30th May
Pre-run track from Finke to Alice on first June
Pre-run track from Alice to Deep Well on third June.
Registration on eighth June
7. Fiona and Paul fly in, Ian and Rhonda arrive four-wheel-drive.
Scrutineering on 10th June
Prologue on 11th June
Race day one (Alice to Finke) 12th June
Race day two (Finke to Alice) 13th June
Return to Canberra starting 14th June
8. Budget.
Get a second mortgage!
(Keep new wife working)
Day -23 to Finke
Preliminary trip to the Alice-reconnoitre (November 2015).
Paul and I rode our GS BMWs to the Alice to do some networking, check out the prologue track and first section of the racetrack. We returned by the Oodnadatta track and that in itself is a story.
Day one: from Canberra to Mildura, 800 K. Apart from an upset stomach in the middle of the Hay plains, solved by a visit to a very conveniently placed roadside dunny, followed by a visit to the nearest available chemist (Hay) for a dose of Imodium (note to self never leave home without this!).
Day two: from Mildura to Peterborough, 550 K highlights today were a visit to the rail museum and motorcycle and antique Museum (highly recommended) in Peterborough.
Large storm clouds moved in on the late afternoon followed by a torrential downpour overnight. Unfortunately, the Oodnadatta track also received a drenching, forcing us to change our route. We would return home via the track
Day three: from Peterborough to Coober Pedy, 670 k’s. Never seen so many gopher holes in my life! Stayed in an underground hotel for the first time.
Day four: Coober Pedy to Alice Springs, 688 km. The long and not so winding Road. Thank God for cruise control! Amazing country to see and explore!
and more
Days 5 to 7: Alice Springs. Visited Greenie (Steve Greenfield-legend) to discuss suspension set up for the race, Jetco Yamaha a bit of sightseeing around the east and Western ranges, walked the prologue track and Dave kindly drove Paul and I along the first 30 k’s also of the racetrack, finally, thanks to Greenie, found accommodation for 2016.
Day eight: from Alice Springs to Oodnadatta; a leisurely 450 K ride from Alice to Marla down the Stuart Highway take a sharp left at Marla, another not so leisurely 212 K ride along a variety of dirt/gravel surfaces to Oodnadatta.
Day nine: Oodnadatta to Marree (via William Creek)), 407 Kms. Got bogged 15 k’s outside Oodnadatta while traversing a recently flooded creek crossing, subsequent crossing were disguised by a dry crust!
Day 10: Marree to Hawker via Blinman and the Flinders ranges, 272K. Very worthwhile taking the scenic detour.
Day 11: Hawker to Broken Hill 427K. More fantastic scenery but mostly just a transport section.
Days 12 to 13:
Broken Hill proved a great place to have a bit of a rest before the final push home we spent some time looking around town especially enjoying the Pro Hart gallery and a couple of trips out to Silverton.
Day 14: Broken Hill to Nyngen, 587K. The highlight of Nyngan was the big Bogan; generally a surprisingly nice little town.
Day -20 to Finke
Time is getting close and the boys are getting serious.
Pete has bought a new covered trailer to get the bikes to the Alice and drove it down to Canberra today for the next leg.
And then it’s off to the Australian Institute of sport to keep up the gruelling training program while Pete drives home, leaving the trailer and bike to be transported to Finke.
Day -13 to Finke
Canberra to Renmark
The long track to Alice started with a 950 K drive from Canberra to Renmark, traversing three states and one territory, picking up Dave at 6 am along the way and travelling in convoy. The new two-way radio was a lot of fun and very useful too for staying in touch on the drive.
Many find this leg tedious, but I found the countryside, particularly on a wet day like today, beautiful. Spotted along the way large numbers of emus and police cars. Maybe not in equal numbers or beauty.
The end of around 12 hours driving brought us to Renmark in South Australia right on the banks of the mighty Murray. Very nice to stop and explore the local club for a well-earned beer and meal.
Day -12 to Finke
Renmark to Cooper Pedy
Another long transport section, 1000 K between Renmark and Coober Pedy. Passing through Port Augusta feels like you are over halfway and you really get the sense that you are in the outback. Tomorrow is a leisurely 560 K into the Alice.
Day -11 to Finke
Alice Springs
Last transport day 688K through glorious outback Oz.
We were rewarded for dragging ourselves out of bed at an ungodly hour by a spectacular sunrise.
After nearly 2 1/2 days on the road, we finally crossed the NT border.
Note it is raining, it started about 300 K south of Alice and is predicted to continue until the end of the week at least!
Day -10 to Finke
Rest day in the Alice
Tomorrow we hit the track weather permitting, 4.5 hour trip to Finke in cars then riding (race Bikes) back to Alice.
Day -9 to Finke
First pre-run of the track
Starting to get serious today with our first pre-run of the track.
Pete, Rod (Pete‘s dad), Dave and I got another early start so as to arrive in Finke in time for the run north. There is a local informal rule that you head south in the a.m. and north after midday, for the obvious reasons.
The track is everything that it is reputed to be, fast and endless whoops that would swallow a camel. The only thing missing was the dreaded dust. Rain over the last few days provided perfect conditions. Best ever a local was heard to say.
Heading along the old South Road, passing the 140 K sign, 82 k’s to go. Note how close the track is to the road. This is pretty typical; the track actually crosses the road at a number of points.
Day -8 to Finke
Alice Springs; rain in the catchment
With rain in the catchment further north we were lucky to catch the start of the flow of the Todd River on the outskirts of the Alice.
Becoming a bit too frequent for my comfort zone. Pete is back on the bed with me! Actually, our cabin is a little squeezy and it is the most comfortable place to watch TV.
Day -3 to Finke
Alice Springs; testing, testing
The last four days have been a combination of testing and working on their bikes and the occasional mountain bike ride.
My bike has some serious issues with the rear and bottoming out over the seemingly infinent kilometers of whoops.
This required revalving the rear shock to stiffen up the high-speed compression.
Some fantastic mountain bike tracks on the outskirts of the Alice.
Late night revalving my rear shock at Steve Greenfield’s workshop. Greenie provides an invaluable service.
Pete and Roy at the starting line after doing a lap of the prologue circuit on our mountain bikes.
Cars and motorbikes are not allowed on the circuit until the qualification and sighting lap.
Wednesday day -1 to Finke
Signing in
Wednesday; Fiona and Paul arrive
Ian Roy and Rhonda walking the prologue track
Thursday
West Macdonell Ranges
Sightseeing Day
Gosse Bluffe
Ormiston Gorge
Glenn Helen Gorge
Day one scrutineering Friday
Scrutineering
Scrutineering from 2 pm out at the track, went out a bit late to avoid the queues (ha ha) and the tip was to check your gear first and then the bike.
Line of punters getting their gear checked.
Mates racing team lining up for bike checking
Lines of Bikes for the race
Roy with Toby‘s Dakkar bike
Rhonda with Toby Price
Day two; prologue.
Prologue.
This is the pre-race to determine starting positions in the actual race. It includes the start of the actual track and is 9 km of red dirt, twists, turns, lumps and whoops and bumps and fast streets.
Riders sign on at 10:30 am was delayed first till 11 am and then until 1130 due to a serious accident involving one of the cars in prologue. The navigator had been taken to hospital and the police and paramedics had been involved and closed the track for awhile. Not an auspicious start to the day.
All prologue times were pushed back by an hour
Roy got the start on his group of three riders and kept the lead the whole way, posting a respectable time for age group, overall and class.
All Bikes headed out onto the track together for a very dusty pre-run before prologue.
The parking area for bike competitors.
How did they go?
His time was seven minutes 12 seconds and Pete posted seven minutes 24 seconds this gave them the starting times of Roy 1201 and 1204 for race day.
Two of the grid girls freezing but looking good.
Both boys were reasonably happy with their Times but of course “could have done better” if given another chance :-).
Spent the rest of the day setting the Bikes up for the race proper. A new tyre and adjusting the gearing, choosing which jersey for racing etc.
Racer’s dinner of spaghetti Bolognese to ensure plenty of carbs!
Roy with toby Price.
Race day one; Alice to Finke
Race day 1
Don the day two lucky jersey and pants and get the bikes to the racecourse in the Lucky trailer.
Sign on 9:45 am.
Write a brief briefing 10:30 am.
Ready to go in his lucky pants and jersey
At the racecourse in Alice, unloading the bikes, mates racing team supervising.
Pete getting last-minute encouragement from daughter Lou.
Bike #890
Schedule Day one start.
Time is 12:02:00 Sunday Tatts Finke desert race
Text messages sent to Pitt crew (Fiona)
Bike #890CheckpointStarted Day One Started At 12:01 (Provisional)
Bike #890Checkpoint Deep Well Time12:58:11P.M. (provisional))
Bike #890Checkpoint Rodinga1:26:32P.M. (provisional)
Bike #890Checkpoint Bundooma 2:07:16P.M.(provisional)
Bike890Checkpoint Mount Squires 2:43:03P.M. (provisional)
Bike #890Checkpoint Arrived 3:30:08P.M.(provisional)
Of Course Once The Bikes Took Off We Took Off too; Headed To Finke, a four hour drive down the Stuart Highway, turning off at Kulgara and heading for Finke-red dirt from Kulgara.
Rhonda Ian and Fiona en route to Finke
The long way into Finke.
Finke! Roy survived day one. And so did Pete.
Paul Roy Dave Pete Rhonda Ian Fiona
Around the campfire at Finke
Race day two; Finke to Alice
The race home
Camping out at Finke overnight with the team, and in the trusty two-man tent we were very snug and warm despite it being quite a cool night. Well before daybreak, the cars for the race were a constant drone in the night as they headed down to the start line.
We dragged ourselves out of bed around seven. Ian and Paul had the fire stoked and the Billy boiling ready for a cuppa.
After breakfast of toast and fruit, with Roy having his special yoghurt that Rhonda got at the racetrack the previous day, the boys got stuck into race preparation.
Change the oil, the air filter, checked all nuts and bolts, adjusted the chain, check the spokes.
Some of us walked up the embankment to see if we could see the race cars go past after we heard the start. We could see them clearly in a couple of spots, just up from our campsite. Ian walked over further and was right on the edge of the track.
Packed up the camp and Roy and Pete headed up to the start line 9: 30 for writer sign on 9:45 briefing around 10:30.
Dave and Paul left pretty quickly after the riders. We left a short while later and realised I still had Roy‘s energy bar so we went by at the start line and handed it over to him and headed back to Alice, a 4.5 hour track over red sand, dust and bitumen.
They're off!
Finke text messages to pit crew (Fiona), picked up once we were back in range.
Bike #890,CheckpointStartedDay2Time12:11 (Provisional)
Bike #890,CheckpointMountSquiresTime12:59:37 pm (provisional)
Bike #890,CheckpointBundoomaTime1:33:36 pm (provisional)
Bike #890,CheckpointRodingaTime2:12:18P.M. (provisional)
Bike #890,CheckpointDeepWellTime2:39:45P.M. (provisional))
Bike #890,CheckpointFinishLineTime3:31:41 (provisional)
We arrived at the racetrack. Around 2:45 expecting Roy across the line any time after 3:30.
Positioned ourselves to get a photo finish shot of him, unfortunately through the fence but it was really the only option. Could not get a suitable location to get a photo that would show his front crossing the line, too many fences people and officials.
Got him signed off and propped up against the wall and still managed to get to the finish line to snap Pete crossing the line,
Nurse Linda; it doesn’t hurt a bit.
Eventually everyone and everything was packed back up into trailers and cars and we headed back to the caravan park. The boys cleaned up and down a couple of beers before we headed into the convention centre to accept their survivor’s spikes, the dog spikes. Standing room only, note to selves, should have arrived earlier.
Found some canteen style food and a couple of chairs to sit around the wall. After the boys got their spikes, fortunately they were the first bike class awarded after cars and buggies, we all headed back for a well earned sleep.
Pete and Roy showing off their trophy spikes.
Wednesday; the trip home
Start with Rainbow Valley
On the way to rainbow Valley
Arrive Kings Canyon resort
Dawn; the rim walk.
Kings Canyon
Rim walk
Coober Pedy; bought opal earrings.
Home!
