One of Australia's most famous motorsport events is reaching a major milestone, with the Finke Desert Race set to celebrate its 50th anniversary this weekend in Central Australia. The adrenaline-fuelled, high-octane event will see hundreds of competitors line up to take on the famous Finke Track that runs through the red heart of the country.
The race has grown into one of the most famous off-road desert events in the world, drawing riders and drivers from across the country. This year, more than 800 competitors on motorbikes, custom-built off-road buggies and trophy trucks are expected to tackle the demanding course, a far cry from the modest field that started it all five decades ago.
When the very first Finke Desert Race was held in 1976, about 60 motorbike riders took to the Central Australian outback, keen to test their skills against the unforgiving terrain. Among them was Jeff Curtis, who won that inaugural edition and still treasures the small cup he fought for in the event's very first year.
Curtis took on the challenge aboard a Yamaha 250, a bike he says remains in the same condition as when he rode it back then. The course took competitors along the corrugated red dirt track from Alice Springs down to the community of Finke and back again, a route that has become synonymous with the race itself.
The early regulations reflected just how isolated and self-reliant riders had to be. Part of the rules, Curtis recalled, required each competitor to carry a spare tube or puncture repair equipment, as well as a spare throttle cable, in case anything went wrong out in the remote desert far from help.
The pace of the event has changed dramatically over the decades. Back in 1976, the race took Jeff Curtis about six hours to complete, a punishing effort across the rough outback track. Today, with modern machinery and refined preparation, the fastest bikes are able to finish the same course in less than four hours.
Half a century on, the Finke Desert Race has transformed from a small outback test of endurance into a major fixture on the off-road calendar. With hundreds of bikes, buggies and cars converging on the famous track this weekend, the anniversary edition stands as a celebration of the event's history and of the enduring appeal of racing through Central Australia.