The 49th instalment of the Tatts Finke Desert Race will be held in the Northern Territory over the King’s Birthday long weekend (June 6-9), with massive intrigue on who will replace David Walsh as the new reference point in the iconic event.
After winning a fifth successive Finke in 2024, matching the record of Randall Gregory who performed the same feat from 1991-1995, Walsh recently called time on his decorated career while still very much at the peak of his powers.
Walsh’s decision to retire means that a new outright champion will be crowned in 2025, and the rider with the strongest claims is Victorian Callum Norton.
The 24-year-old from Lorne is already a hard-nosed desert racer, and in 2024 he finished just 47 seconds behind Walsh in the Finke after a blazing day two – the 229km return run from Finke to Alice Springs.
However, ultimately it was Walsh’s relentless speed and work rate on day one which saw him put one hand on the 2024 trophy, and he won at an average speed of 125.94km over three hours, 38 minutes and 12 seconds.
Norton also finished second at Finke in 2023, so he certainly has the credentials to go all the way in 2025 with his dash and insatiable appetite for the contest.
However, nothing’s a given in the hustle and bustle of Finke, which has an uncanny knack of turning scripts on their head and blowing the pecking order wide open.
Norton will still have to be on his game to defeat the likes of Corey Hammond (KTM), Luke Hayes (KTM), veteran Ben Grabham (GASSGAS) and Brodie Waters (Honda), who all finished inside the top 10 last year. Last year’s prologue winner, Liam Walsh (KTM), is also a hard charger.
Grabham (35-44yrs) and Waters (251-450cc four-stroke) are also defending class victories from the 2024 Finke Desert Race – a list which also includes Warren Zerna (KTM, 55yrs and over) and Madison Healey (KTM, Women’s).
The other moto classes are up to 250cc two-stroke, 251cc and above two-stroke, up to 250cc four-stroke, 451cc and above four-stroke, and 45-54yrs.
A total of 395 riders will compete in the moto classes, as well as 103 vehicles in the four-wheel categories which includes buggies, side-by-sides and two- and four-wheel drives.
For the full 2025 moto entry list, click here.
The prologue for the 2025 Tatts Finke Desert Race will be held on Saturday, June 7, which will determine the starting order for the run to Finke on Sunday. Then it will all happen in reverse on Monday.
For more information on the event, including all you need to know as a spectator, click here.
