Finke 2026
Walsh makes Finke history as Honda conquers 50th anniversary race
David Walsh has returned to the Tatts Finke Desert Race in emphatic fashion, claiming a record-equalling sixth King of the Desert crown at the 50th running of Australia’s most iconic off-road race.
The Alice Springs local finished the two-day motorcycle contest in three hours, 49 minutes and 27.938 seconds, giving Honda its first outright Finke victory since 2013 and drawing Walsh level with Toby Price on six motorcycle wins.
Walsh’s victory was the headline result in a 50th anniversary edition that carried everything Finke has come to represent across five decades: brutal pace, punishing terrain, elation, heartbreak, exhaustion, family, community and, sadly, tragedy.
The Finke Desert Race Committee confirmed on Sunday that a motorcycle competitor had died during Race Day 1 along the first half of the route from Alice Springs to Aputula (Finke). The Committee extended its condolences to the rider’s family and friends, with police investigating the incident and support being provided at both ends of the course. MCNews.com.au also extends its sincere condolences to the rider’s family, friends, fellow competitors, officials and all those impacted.
Fifty years from humble beginnings
The Tatts Finke Desert Race began in 1976 as a far more humble “there and back” challenge, with Northern Territorian Geoff Curtis winning the inaugural event on a Yamaha 250.
Half a century later, Finke has grown into arguably the biggest standalone off-road motorsport event in Australia, a June pilgrimage for riders, drivers, crews, families and fans who understand that simply reaching the finish line is an achievement in itself.
The 2026 anniversary edition drew a huge motorcycle entry, with hundreds of riders across nine classes taking on the 460-kilometre return epic between Alice Springs and the remote Indigenous community of Aputula. For some, survival and a finisher’s medal remained the primary objective. For others, the target was the top step.
That battle for outright honours centred on a deep field of big-bore four-stroke contenders. Defending King of the Desert Corey Hammond returned with Honda, joined by five-time winner Walsh and Brodie Waters as part of a major Peter Kittle Honda offensive. Campbell Hall, Callum Norton, Mitchell Outram, Kodi Stephens, Levi Stephens, and a long list of Finke specialists ensured there would be no easy return for Walsh after sitting out the previous year.
Hammond fires first in Prologue
Corey Hammond opened the weekend with a statement ride in the Method Race Wheels Prologue, stopping the clock at 4m47.564s aboard the Honda CRF450R to claim first starting position for the run to Finke.
That was Hammond’s first Prologue win after six attempts, and it came by 5.615 seconds over Walsh, who had been forced to run later in the order due to not contesting the previous year’s event.
Raymond Cole was third on the Yamaha YZ450F, just over a tenth ahead of Brodie Waters, while Campbell Hall completed the top five on his KTM 500 EXC-F.
“This sets me up well for the next two days,” Hammond said after Prologue. “There is no pressure, the team will know what to do and I just want to see three Hondas up on the podium box. With my race tomorrow I just want to get off to a good start and try and keep my teammate and five-time King of the Desert David Walsh off my back.”
Walsh was satisfied with second, particularly after taking to the Prologue track after more than 250 competitors had already made their mark.
“Obviously taking off first in prologue there is no dust and you can see everything, but you are taking off straight after the trucks and buggies and they create lines that don’t always work for motorcycles, so you are trying to work out where not to go in real time,” Walsh explained. “Going mid-field the dust is worse, but the track has been ridden in. I am happy with second.”
2026 Tatts Finke Desert Race Bike Results – Prologue Top 10
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corey Hammond | Honda CRF450R | 04:47.564 | — |
| 2 | David Walsh | Honda CRF450R | 04:53.179 | +00:05.615 |
| 3 | Raymond Cole | Yamaha YZ450F | 04:57.536 | +00:09.972 |
| 4 | Brodie Waters | Honda CRF450R | 04:57.648 | +00:10.084 |
| 5 | Campbell Hall | KTM 500 EXC-F | 04:59.981 | +00:12.417 |
| 6 | Levi Stephens | KTM 500 EXC | 05:02.506 | +00:14.942 |
| 7 | Luke Hayes | KTM EXC500 | 05:05.201 | +00:17.637 |
| 8 | Kodi Stephens | KTM 500 EXC | 05:05.205 | +00:17.641 |
| 9 | Mitchell Outram | KTM 500 EXC | 05:06.740 | +00:19.176 |
| 10 | Liam Walsh | KTM 500 SX-F | 05:08.475 | +00:20.911 |
Walsh takes control on Race Day 1
When the bikes left Alice Springs for the 226-kilometre run to Aputula on Sunday, Hammond initially beat Walsh away, but the five-time winner soon settled into the rhythm that has made him one of the most formidable desert racers Australia has produced.
Walsh eventually found a way past his team-mate and then began building a decisive advantage, reaching Finke in 1h51m18.276s.
“It wasn’t too easy,” Walsh said. “It was good fun at the start as we got locked in a battle with my teammate Corey Hammond, but I managed to get past him and then focused on myself. Suspension has been great, the bike was great, so really happy with everything the team put together. I am an old man but we’ve put in the work so the body feels pretty good. This race is Christmas in June for me, and always has been, so I never thought I would win it once, let alone five times, and here we are again.”
Campbell Hall was Walsh’s nearest challenger after Day 1, just over six minutes in arrears, while Kodi Stephens, Liam Walsh and Levi Stephens kept KTM strongly represented near the front.
For Hammond, the opening leg unravelled in cruel fashion. The defending champion suffered a flat tyre approaching Fuel Stop Two, losing time while the crew completed a wheel change, before a broken chain in the final kilometres left him with no drive and only one choice if he wanted to reach Finke.
He pushed.
After almost two hours of racing at speed through deep sand, whoops, square edges and some of the harshest terrain in Australian motorsport, Hammond dragged the Honda through the final kilometres and across the line.
Exhausted and emotional, he summed it up with a line that will likely become part of Finke folklore.
“Mum didn’t raise no quitter.”
It was not the result Hammond had come for, but it was a reminder of why Finke holds such a powerful place in the Australian racing psyche. At Finke, the stopwatch matters, but so does the refusal to stop.
2026 Tatts Finke Desert Race Bike Results – Day 1 Top 10
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Walsh | Honda CRF450R | 01:51:18.276 | — |
| 2 | Campbell Hall | KTM 500 EXC-F | 01:57:19.778 | +00:06:01.502 |
| 3 | Kodi Stephens | KTM 500 EXC | 02:01:01.548 | +00:09:43.272 |
| 4 | Liam Walsh | KTM 500 SX-F | 02:01:24.727 | +00:10:06.451 |
| 5 | Levi Stephens | KTM 500 EXC | 02:02:02.226 | +00:10:43.950 |
| 6 | Brodie Waters | Honda CRF450R | 02:03:27.361 | +00:12:09.085 |
| 7 | Ivan Long | Husqvarna FE 501 | 02:07:58.917 | +00:16:40.641 |
| 8 | Mitchell Outram | KTM 500 EXC | 02:08:33.181 | +00:17:14.905 |
| 9 | Jack Colbert | Husqvarna FE500 | 02:09:18.909 | +00:18:00.633 |
| 10 | Will Ashby | KTM 500 EXC | 02:10:15.919 | +00:18:57.643 |
Walsh seals sixth King of the Desert crown
On the return run to Alice Springs, Walsh had the lead, the experience, and the composure to manage the race from the front. Hall pushed hard, and Liam Walsh produced a superb return leg, but David Walsh held firm to complete the race in 3h49m27.938s.
The result gave Walsh a sixth King of the Desert title, matching Toby Price’s motorcycle record, and delivered a landmark victory for Honda and the Peter Kittle Honda program.
“It’s been a crazy weekend,” Walsh said. “I am just really happy to get home in one piece and get to see my beautiful family. Hats off to my teammate Corey Hammond who rode like hell yesterday. The result is a testament to all the work that has gone in behind the scenes. It’s an incredible bike and everything about it has been wicked. I am certainly feeling my 36 years of age.”
Campbell Hall finished second overall for the second year in succession, 6m07.113s behind Walsh, and again showed that a Finke victory is very much within his future.
“It feels good to get second,” Hall said. “I had a few sketchy moments, the whole track is tough but we are here now. It is my biggest race throughout the year and it means a lot for me to get on the podium again and keep the ball rolling to the Hattah hopefully. It’s my third year, and I am only 20, so I have plenty of years to get a win soon.”
Liam Walsh completed the podium in third on a KTM 500 SX-F, making it a memorable family day as he joined cousin David on the rostrum.
“I don’t have a lot of words to say at the moment, I’m pretty emotional. Eight weeks ago, I didn’t think I would be racing this race – it has been a long road, but we got it done. I had to work really hard to be on the bike this weekend and I’m glad that we made it. This was a dream of mine growing up and to be on the podium with my cousin [David Walsh] is amazing. So, a massive thanks to the whole STE Racing KTM team – I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”
Kodi Stephens and Levi Stephens completed the top five, making it four KTMs inside the top five behind Walsh’s Honda.
Kodi Stephens
“It was a good weekend for me at Finke! I Prologued eighth, which wasn’t the best, but I clicked off a few riders to arrive at Finke in third. I had some solid battles again on the way back to Alice – Liam and I were close for the first 60kms and came into the first fuel stop together. Then I followed his dust for around 40 kilometres, before I kind of put it in cruise control to get it back to town because the track was so gnarly. Overall, it was a good weekend. I’m happy to finish in fourth overall and on the podium in class, but I’ll be coming back next year for more!”
Brodie Waters finished sixth, giving the Peter Kittle Honda team two riders inside the top six after helping drive one of the largest race operations in the event.
Callum Norton’s weekend was compromised early, but the Joe Rasal-backed Ducati Desmo450 MX rider showed the potential of the Italian machine on the return leg, setting the fourth-fastest time on Day 2 and climbing to 13th outright.
Corey Hammond, meanwhile, charged back to eighth-fastest on the return leg and finished 18th outright after the brutal setback of Day 1.
“Congratulations to the team and to David,” Hammond said. “I know how hard this race is and I know how much work goes into moments like this. It’s not the finish I wanted, but it’s a story I am proud will be told for a long time. Quitting was never an option, not with how hard everyone works and not with how hard I have worked to be here.”
2026 Tatts Finke Desert Race Bike Results – Day 2 Top 10
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Walsh | Honda CRF450R | 01:58:09.662 | — |
| 2 | Liam Walsh | KTM 500 SX-F | 01:58:13.163 | +00:00:03.501 |
| 3 | Campbell Hall | KTM 500 EXC-F | 01:58:15.273 | +00:00:05.611 |
| 4 | Callum Norton | Ducati Desmo450 MX | 02:00:28.316 | +00:02:18.654 |
| 5 | Kodi Stephens | KTM 500 EXC | 02:01:50.918 | +00:03:41.256 |
| 6 | Levi Stephens | KTM 500 EXC | 02:02:50.321 | +00:04:40.659 |
| 7 | Ivan Long | Husqvarna FE 501 | 02:04:20.525 | +00:06:10.863 |
| 8 | Corey Hammond | Honda CRF450R | 02:04:32.529 | +00:06:22.867 |
| 9 | Brodie Waters | Honda CRF450R | 02:06:14.817 | +00:08:05.155 |
| 10 | Mitchell Outram | KTM 500 EXC | 02:06:41.882 | +00:08:32.220 |
2026 Tatts Finke Desert Race Bike Results – Overall Outright Top 20
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Walsh | Honda CRF450R | — |
| 2 | Campbell Hall | KTM 500 EXC-F | +00:06:07.113 |
| 3 | Liam Walsh | KTM 500 SX-F | +00:10:09.952 |
| 4 | Kodi Stephens | KTM 500 EXC | +00:13:24.528 |
| 5 | Levi Stephens | KTM 500 EXC | +00:15:24.609 |
| 6 | Brodie Waters | Honda CRF450R | +00:20:14.240 |
| 7 | Ivan Long | Husqvarna FE 501 | +00:22:51.504 |
| 8 | Mitchell Outram | KTM 500 EXC | +00:25:47.125 |
| 9 | Will Ashby | KTM 500 EXC | +00:30:17.138 |
| 10 | Jack Colbert | Husqvarna FE500 | +00:31:10.814 |
| 11 | Jesse Ryan | KTM EX 250 | +00:31:36.571 |
| 12 | Ben Grabham | GASGAS MC 450F | +00:34:39.070 |
| 13 | Callum Norton | Ducati Desmo450 MX | +00:34:39.389 |
| 14 | Todd Smith | Husqvarna 501 | +00:35:15.594 |
| 15 | Jesse Hansen | KTM 500 EXC-F | +00:35:35.844 |
| 16 | Jake Cobbin | Yamaha YZ450F | +00:37:21.258 |
| 17 | Jett Hicks | Honda CRF450R | +00:39:59.170 |
| 18 | Corey Hammond | Honda CRF450R | +00:40:18.335 |
| 19 | Thomas Livesay | KTM 500 EXC | +00:43:37.013 |
| 20 | Tim Lonsdale | Husqvarna FE 501 | +00:48:10.420 |
Healey claims third Queen of the Desert title
Madison Healey successfully defended her Queen of the Desert crown and claimed her third women’s title, finishing 52nd outright on the KTM 450 SX-F with a total time of 5h16m04.443s.
Healey finished more than 26 minutes clear of Taylah Maurice, with Danielle Foot completing the women’s podium.
Across the broader class results, Campbell Hall took the 451cc-and-above four-stroke division; Jesse Ryan topped the up-to-250cc four-stroke class; Ivan Long won Masters; Brett Rae claimed Seniors; and William Willis took Veterans honours.
2026 Tatts Finke Desert Race Bike Results – Class Winners
| Class | Winner | Bike | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 – 251cc and above two-stroke | Liam Dinnage | 300 XC | 05:20:33.908 |
| Class 2 – 451cc and above four-stroke | Campbell Hall | KTM 500 EXC-F | 03:55:35.051 |
| Class 3 – Up to 250cc two-stroke | Jayden O’Connor | 250 | 04:56:09.791 |
| Class 4 – Up to 250cc four-stroke | Jesse Ryan | KTM EX 250 | 04:21:04.509 |
| Class 5 – 251cc to 450cc four-stroke | David Walsh | Honda CRF450R | 03:49:27.938 |
| Class 6 – Masters 35 to 44 years | Ivan Long | Husqvarna FE 501 | 04:12:19.442 |
| Class 7 – Seniors 45 to 54 years | Brett Rae | KTM 450 EXC-F | 04:43:27.921 |
| Class 8 – Veterans 55 years and over | William Willis | Husqvarna FE 450 | 05:43:38.906 |
| Class 9 – Women | Madison Healey | KTM 450 SX-F | 05:16:04.443 |
Results provisional at time of publication.
