The Finke Desert Race is more than just a test of sporting endurance. It’s a lifestyle. Encompassing close to 230km from Alice Springs to Finke and then the same again from Finke back to Alice, the off road, multi terrain two-day race for bikes, cars, buggies and quads to the small Aputula (Finke) community and back has become an annual pilgrimage for many. Mildura’s Jason Stewart is one and he caught up with Angus Dearlove to explain why he keeps going back.
IT is more than 18 hours and 1700kms from Mildura to Alice Springs in Australia’s Red Centre.
It’s a long drive, but one Jason Stewart is very much familiar with.
Since 1996 the local motorbike rider has made the pilgrimage on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend on and off to take part in the iconic Finke Desert Race that starts today – and he’s up there now yet again.
“This is my ninth one competing,” Jason says.
“But I’ve been to every other one every second year or every other year helping out.
“I lived and worked in Alice for a couple of years and that was pretty good in the early to mid 2000s and I’ve always been going up and helping Luke (Woodberry’s) old man, Woody, when he had the KTM shop and Des, I’ve had a long association with the Woodberry family and Finke.”
Riding in Class Seven (for 40-45 year olds), Jason says his own results weren’t really much motivation now.
“To be honest now in Mildura there’s another generation of young riders, you’ve got Sam Stockman and the Waters boys, Nathan Trigg and all them guys, I enjoy the pre-running,” he says.
“Going up there a couple of times a year, it’s a good road trip trail riding and practicing, the week of the race we are all camping together.
“As far as the race goes and the results I don’t really care too much for it, the day before the race basically I’m like the race is tomorrow I better get organised.”
Having been there and done that so much Jason knows the rough terrain almost like the back of his hand.
“Because of my track knowledge so much up there and I don’t do much riding for the rest of the year I can just rock up and have a good ride and it puts me in the top 50 or inside the top 100,” he says.
“I just enjoy it, all my days of serious speedway and dirt track and chasing titles, for 20 years I did that, Finke is not about racing someone else it’s just about beating the desert.”
It’s the freedom that draws Jason to it.
“You can race for nearly 500kms and nobody is trying to bang elbows with you, you are not trying to compete for a corner you are doing your own thing,” he explains
“Once you get to my age and my point of my riding career you enjoy that.
“With work I’ve got my own business these days, and the risk of getting hurt, I can go and compete by myself and ride within my means and feel safe.
“Accidents happen, you can never underestimate that, but in my opinion as far as the race goes it is pretty safe … because of that I want to do it for another 20 years hopefully.”
Jason says Finke has become one of the “must do” events for a lot of the more mature riders.
“There’s 650 riders at Finke and more than 50 per cent now competing in it afre over the age of 35,” he says.
“It’s like everyone hits the age of 35 or 40 and on their bucket list is to go and ride Finke.
“That’s what the whole event is about, some people go to Finke and they love it, they are hooked on it forever. Other people go there once and they’ve ticked it off.”
For Jason’s business, STE Engineering, the Finke period is almost their Christmas.
“There’s a lot of motorbike guys orientated in that, the guys go up and do the first and second fuel stop for us, we don’t really have a Christmas break because 90 per cent of our work is the wine industry and we are always busy at wineries,” he says.
“So we basically just shut down for Finke, from Wednesday through to Wednesday we shut the doors.
“A lot of guys go up, and the ones who aren’t into motorbikes just have annual leave and stay home.”
