There are plenty of off-road races around the world. Baja has the glamour, Dakar has the mystique and Erzberg has the brutality. But here in Australia we have something uniquely our own and it’s called the Tatts Finke Desert Race.
Every year over the King’s Birthday long weekend, the red dirt around Alice Springs erupts into one of the wildest motorsport spectacles in the country. Thousands of spectators line the desert track, campfires glow along the whoops and the sound of engines echoes across the outback as bikes, trophy trucks and buggies blast their way down the historic Old Ghan railway line.
Finke isn’t just a race. It’s a pilgrimage.
In 2026, the event hits an incredible milestone. It will be 50 years since the first “There and Back” race in 1976, when just 56 motorcycle riders lined up alongside the old South Road near the Alice Springs airport. Those riders had no classes, no fancy start gates and no idea they were about to kick off what would become the biggest off-road race in Australia.
Half a century later, the Tatts Finke Desert Race has grown into an international motorsport event attracting competitors from across the country and around the world. What started as a desert blast has evolved into a 446km endurance race from Alice Springs to the remote community of Aputula (Finke) and back again, featuring motorcycles, trophy trucks, buggies and side-by-sides all battling the same brutal terrain.
And in 2026, everything about it is bigger than ever.
The biggest Finke in history
If the early signs are anything to go by, the 2026 Tatts Finke Desert Race is going to be the biggest the event has ever seen.
Organisers have already received more than 1200 expressions of interest from competitors hoping to secure a start spot, the highest demand in the race’s 50-year history.
To put that into perspective, that’s nearly 20 times the number of competitors who lined up in 1976.
Event organisers are now working with Motorcycling Australia and Motorsport Australia to determine final entry limits that balance the huge demand with safety and logistical requirements. At this stage the 2026 race will feature up to 750 motorcycles and 200 cars, creating one of the biggest fields the event has ever seen.
It’s a sign of just how popular off-road racing has become in Australia and how much the Finke Desert Race has grown from a grassroots event into a national motorsport spectacle.
According to Finke Desert Race President Antony Yoffa, the surge in interest is unlike anything the organisers have seen before.
“We’re witnessing something truly special,” Yoffa said. “The response has been absolutely phenomenal. We’re looking at nearly 20 times the number of competitors from that first race in 1976.”
And it’s not just racers making the pilgrimage. The milestone anniversary is expected to bring huge numbers of spectators to Alice Springs, giving the entire region a major tourism and economic boost.
A full week of desert celebration
In the early years, Finke was simply a race day. These days it’s a full week of events, and for the 50th anniversary organisers have created a packed program that turns Alice Springs into the off-road capital of Australia.
The celebrations kick off with the 50th Finke Celebration Dinner on Wednesday 3 June, bringing together past champions, pioneers and motorsport legends to honour the history of the race.
On Thursday 4 June, the town transforms into a motorsport carnival with the Finke Street Party and Night Markets, where fans can wander through Alice Springs meeting competitors, checking out race machinery and soaking up the unique desert race atmosphere.
Friday is one of the most popular spectator days of the entire event, the Scrutineering Day. Held in the centre of town, this is where competitors roll their bikes, trophy trucks and buggies through technical inspection before the race. It’s one of the rare chances for fans to walk right up to the machines, chat with riders and drivers, and get a close look at the incredible engineering that goes into racing Finke.
For 2026, scrutineering will be supported by AJP Motos Australia, bringing extra displays and activities to one of the event’s most iconic traditions. Saturday sees the Method Race Wheels Prologue, where competitors battle for starting positions on a short qualifying course. Starting order is critical at Finke, especially in the bikes, and prologue often determines who will lead the charge into the desert.
Then comes the real business. Sunday is Race Day 1, where the entire field blasts south from Alice Springs to Aputula. After a night in the desert, the competitors turn around and charge back north for Race Day 2 on Monday, finishing with the legendary Presentation Night celebrations.
The toughest desert race in Australia
Finke has a reputation for being brutally tough and for good reason. The course runs 446 kilometres round trip, following the rugged corridor of the Old Ghan Railway line between Alice Springs and Aputula.
The terrain is relentless. Whoops stretch for kilometres. Corrugations rattle vehicles apart. Dry creek crossings, washouts and bulldust holes punish both machine and rider.
In the cars, massive trophy trucks leap through the desert at incredible speeds.
On bikes, riders skim across the tops of whoops for hours at a time, often averaging well over 130km/h across terrain that would destroy most vehicles.
It’s not uncommon for bikes to take a beating and riders to emerge looking like they’ve just fought a desert war. That’s exactly why competitors love it.
A race built by volunteers
While Finke is now a national motorsport event, its success still comes down to one thing, the community. The race is run by the Outback Desert Racing Club, a volunteer organisation that took over management of the event in 1985 when it became too large for the Alice Springs Motorcycle Club to handle.
Back then the club had almost nothing. No funding. No major sponsors. Just four committed members and a belief that the race could become something special. Through innovation and persistence they transformed the event.
They rerouted the opening section of the race to the Old Ghan railway maintenance road, creating the iconic track used today. They introduced the now-famous elevated start line and drop-down gates, turning the start of the race into a major spectator event.
And they boosted the outright prize money from $750 to $10,000, attracting Australia’s top riders to compete. Perhaps the biggest change came in 1988, when organisers introduced cars to the event for the first time.
At the time, many bike riders hated the idea. The track was already brutal and adding cars would churn it up even more. But the move transformed the race. Today the combination of bikes, trophy trucks and buggies battling the same desert track is part of what makes Finke so spectacular.
A race built on history
One of the most fascinating aspects of the 2026 event will be the 50-year reunion of the original competitors. Organisers have been tracking down riders from the 1976 race, many of whom are now scattered across Australia and overseas.
Several have already confirmed they will attend the anniversary celebrations. These pioneers rode the desert long before modern suspension, GPS navigation and advanced safety equipment. Their stories paint an incredible picture of how far the sport has come.
All previous race winners in both bike and car categories will also be invited to take part in the celebrations, creating a gathering of Finke legends rarely seen in one place.
The atmosphere you can’t explain
Ask anyone who has been to Finke and they’ll tell you the same thing. The race itself is incredible but the atmosphere is something else entirely.
Along the desert track thousands of spectators camp for days, setting up along the whoops with 4WDs, caravans and swags. Campfires burn through the night. Helicopters buzz overhead. The sound of race engines echoes across the desert.
When the leading bikes appear on the horizon, the crowd erupts. It’s motorsport in its rawest form. No grandstands. No corporate suites. Just red dirt, blokes and sheilas mental enough o go warp speed through the desert and the vast Australian outback.
A pilgrimage every off-road fan should make
For dirt bike riders, off-road racers and adventure lovers, the Finke Desert Race is more than just a race weekend. It’s one of the most iconic motorsport events in the country.
And in 2026, as the race celebrates its 50th anniversary, there may never be a better time to experience it. From the street party in Alice Springs to the roar of engines blasting across the desert, the week-long celebration promises to be the biggest Finke yet.
More competitors. More spectators. More history. If you’ve never made the trip to Alice Springs for Finke before, this is the year to do it. Because once you see it for yourself, you’ll understand why so many people say the same thing every June.
There’s nothing else in Australia like Finke.
Motorsport legends
The Finke Desert Race has attracted some of the biggest names in Australian motorsport over the years. And in 2026, another major name joins the field.
Seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Craig Lowndes will return to the desert behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Off-Road Racer, backed by Supercheap Auto Racing.
Lowndes first competed in the race in 2024 and admits the experience left a lasting impression. “I was blown away by just how demanding the race is on both driver, team and vehicle,” Lowndes said.
Catch ADB and Dirt Bike Burrito Live at Finke
As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, Australasian Dirt Bike Magazine owner Mitch Lees is teaming up with the Dirt Bike Burrito podcast to host a live show from the main stage on scrutineering night.
Set against the chaos and excitement of Friday night scrutineering, the live show will feature interviews with past Finke champions, current front-runners and some of the biggest personalities in the event’s 50-year history. It’s the perfect chance to hear the stories behind the race, get the latest insights from the riders and soak up the atmosphere before the desert action kicks off.
Make sure you swing by the main stage and have a listen!
