There’s something different about the Tatts Finke Desert Race in 2026. You can feel it already. Maybe it’s the 50th anniversary, maybe it’s the ridiculous amount of rain that’s already torn the track apart, or maybe it’s the fact that for the first time in years, no one really knows who’s going to win.
For so long, Finke has had a script. There’s always been a favourite, a guy on the right bike, in the right team, with the right runs on the board. But this year that script’s been ripped up. New teams, new bikes, big-name riders switching camps, others coming back from injury or retirement, and a whole pack of locals who’ve been quietly putting in laps while no one was watching.
We sat down with Callum Norton, who’s lining up in 2026 on a Ducati of all things and has been out at Alice pre-running for 6 month already, to get a read on who actually looks fast out there right now. And the takeaway was pretty clear. This could be the tightest Finke we’ve seen in a long, long time.
Honda’s the Big Story
If there’s one storyline dominating 2026, it’s Honda coming back swinging. Not just dipping a toe in either, this is a full Factory return with the backing of Peter Kittle Motor Company, and they’ve stacked the roster with Corey Hammond, David Walsh and Brodie Waters riding red.
Honda already holds 20 outright wins at Finke, more than any other brand, and they haven’t rolled in with this kind of intent since 2018. Peter Singleton told ADB that the 50th anniversary and Honda’s broader motorsport direction made it the right time to come back with a serious, focused effort.
Callum summed it up pretty simply when we asked him who’s going to be fast. “Corey’s the defending champion… he’s fit, he doesn’t make mistakes. But David Walsh… he’s just a mongrel like that. He’ll find something.” That’s the scary part. Hammond is coming off a win. Walsh had exceptional speed an ability out there and it is now wrapped in experience, a five-time winner who doesn’t need a full season to get back up to speed. And Waters was nearly second last year before a crash took him out. Three riders, all capable of winning, all on the same bike. That alone could decide the race.
The Champion: Corey Hammond
Hammond comes into 2026 as the man to beat. He won it last year, he’s young, he’s fit, and he’s now got full factory backing behind him. That’s a dangerous combination in any race, but at Finke it matters even more because the event rewards riders who can keep it together for two days while still riding at the absolute limit.
But, and it’s a big but, he’s changed bikes. He’s gone from a KTM 500 EXC-
F with a PDS setup to a Honda CRF450 with linkage. That’s not a small shift in the desert. Callum said it changes the way you ride through whoops and beat-up straights. Callum put it best: “There’s positives… but it’s just different. He’s going to have to get his head around that.”
The question isn’t whether Hammond is fast enough. We already know he is. The question is whether he can get comfortable quickly enough to defend his title when the pressure’s on, and whether that Honda package gels with him as naturally as the KTM did. The encouraging thing for Honda is that Hammond has already raced the platform internationally in Baja, so it’s not like he’s climbing onto something completely foreign.
The King Returns: David Walsh
You don’t win Finke five times by accident. Walsh sat out last year, but don’t let that fool you. According to Callum, he’s still the benchmark. “He’s won it five times for a reason… he’s just got it.” That really says everything you need to know. Very few riders seem built specifically for Finke. Walsh is one of them.
The wildcard this year is that he’s on a new bike and in a new setup. Normally that would raise eyebrows, especially after a year away from racing. But this is Walsh. If anyone can jump on something different and make it work in the desert, it’s him. The Honda camp clearly think so too, and Walsh himself sounded convinced after the first test rides.
And if Walsh clicks early, this whole race could be over before it starts. That’s not disrespecting anyone else in the field, it’s just acknowledging what he’s already done here. Five wins changes the way we have to talk about you.
The Quiet Assassin: Campbell Hall
Every year there’s a rider who doesn’t get the hype and then just shows up and crushes it. That’s Campbell Hall. He finished second last year, and even though his name doesn’t get thrown around as much as some of the bigger-profile guys, he’s exactly the sort of rider who can win a race like this.
Callum didn’t forget him. “He’s another, just plugs away, puts in the homework… they’ll be there to clean up if anyone makes a mistake.” And that’s exactly how Finke is won sometimes. Hall has already shown he can do that.
What makes him even more dangerous this year is that he’s not really coming in with any pressure. The focus is on the Honda trio, the KTM reshuffle, the Ducati curiosity and the return of some bigger names. That allows Hall to just get on with it, do the work, and quietly stay in the hunt.
The Locals You Can’t Ignore
Callum flagged a few locals that could shake things up if things go their way. Luke Hayes is one. He missed last year due to injury, but he’s back in the conversation now. “Locals know the track well and he’s [Luke Hayes] been riding it since he was a kid,” Callum said. That counts for a lot out here. At Finke, track knowledge is a weapon. Knowing what the surface does, where the little traps are, and how it changes depending on the weather or traffic can save seconds and, more importantly, save crashes.
Liam Walsh is another massive one. He’s David’s cousin and is still coming back from injury, but Callum’s point was a good one: “He’s the kind of guy that could jump on a month out and be fast.” If Liam is healthy enough and gets enough time on the bike, he becomes a genuine threat straight away. Then there’s Ivan Long, the veteran wildcard. “You don’t know what you’re gonna get with Longy but he could be fast as hell.”
Mitchell Outram also deserves a serious mention. He finished fourth last year and Callum pointed out that he keeps getting better every time he lines up. “He’s getting better every year… he’ll be competitive.” Add then there’s the Stevens boys, Kody and Levi, who are always improving and will be around the front.
The Smokies and the Unknowns
This is where Finke gets dangerous, because there’s always someone, somewhere, who turns up and surprises everyone. Callum even called it. “There could be someone holding it wedged coming through that pulls it out on the day.”
That’s the thing with Finke. It’s 460 kilometres of desert that rewards anyone who’s willing to put in the work, and punishes anyone who assumes reputation alone will get the job done. With 750 bikes entered, there are plenty of chances for chaos, surprises and momentum shifts that no one sees coming.
That’s part of what makes this preview so difficult. Usually you can narrow it down pretty quickly. Not this year.
Callum nailed it with the simplest line of the whole chat. “I hope it’s close… because it’s always better when it is.” He’s right. Finke’s 50th could be the best one yet. And for once, no one really knows how it will end.
Track Conditions could be Rougher Than Ever
If the riders don’t decide this race, the track will. And right now, it’s shaping up nasty. Callum was pretty blunt about it. “There’s been heaps of rain… it’s got sinkhole-looking things… it’s pretty nasty.” That’s before grading, before the last wave of pre-runners, and before 750 riders smash it again.
Even with some cleanup, he reckons it’s going to stay brutal. “I think it’s going to be a rough one.” If the surface is soft underneath with hidden holes and the usual Finke chop building on top of that, then the riders who stay calm and keep the bike straight rise to the front.
From a spectator point of view, that’s brilliant news. From a rider point of view, especially a punter aiming just to finish, it’s the sort of update that makes you start questioning your choices.
The Spectator Side Gets Bigger Too
It’s not just the racing stepping up this year. The whole event is going big for 50 years. The Chicane Lounge is offering full trackside hospitality with food, drinks, prime views of the Start/Finish line and the dedicated big screen. Fast Pass ticketing is also being pushed hard, with weekend passes, single-day tickets and kids under 15 getting in free.
There’s also more focus than ever on the live feed and big screen side of the event, with advertising packages being sold around what they claim will be more than 15,000 in-person spectators and over 200,000 live feed viewers.
Fuelled Up!
The Finke committee confirmed directly with ADB they have ordered more than enough petrol and diesel to fill the bowsers in town to load up every vehicle for weeks before and after the event.
