Record entry for 40th Finke classic

Reigning Finke Desert Race winners Shannon and Ian Rentsch (Jimco Buggy) and Toby Price (KTM) headline a record list of 134 cars and 600 bikes entered for the 40th running of 'Australia’s greatest desert race' this weekend.

The Victorian-based Rentsch son and father team will square up against South Australians Jack Rhodes/David Pullino (Jimco Buggy), who placed second last year, and the third-placed Jimco Buggy of West Australian Travis Robinson.

Other notable competitors in the car division include Dave Fellows (SA), who has a record total of six Finke victories (five as a driver and one as a navigator), Mark Burrows (Vic) with five wins, Hayden Bentley (SA) with two wins, and Greg Gartner (SA) and Brad Gallard (SA) who have also tasted Finke victory.

In the bike field, four other former winners -- Phil Lovett (1981, 1982, 1985), Rick Hall (1999, 2002), Darren Griffiths (2003) and Todd Smith (2013) – will attempt to defeat the Maitland, NSW-based Price, who has three Finke titles to his name (2010, 2012, 2014) and finished third in his first Dakar Rally in South
America.

The huge bike field also includes last year’s other podium finishers – David
Walsh (Honda) from Alice Springs and Ivan Long (KTM) from Tanunda, SA.

Polaris Australia is also returning to the famous race this Queen's Birthday long weekend, hoping to build on its 2014 success in the legendary off-road enduro.

Last year Polaris vehicles filled the top five places of the UTV class, a category for 2WD or 4WD side-by-sides up to 1200c.

For 2015, Polaris machinery makes up 15 of the 25 confirmed UTV class entries and leading charge is multiple Australian Rally Champion, Cody Crocker, who is keen to redeem his seventh place finish in 2014.

“Last year we were fastest back from Finke after some minor indiscretions on the way down,” he said. “This year our intention is to be the fastest in both directions. Bring it on.”

In all there are nine car and buggy classes and 10 bike and quad classes. The Rentsch crew's winning overall time last year was three hours, 37 minutes and two seconds, while Price covered the 452km total distance in 3:56.29.

The Prologue to determine the starting order for the 2015 Tatts Finke Desert Race will be held on an 8km circuit at the Alice Springs start/finish on Saturday (June 6).

Race Day 1 on Sunday (June 7) takes in the 226km journey to the overnight stop at the small community of Aputula (Finke), with Race Day 2 seeing the field return to the Alice on Monday (June 8).

The route essentially follows the course taken by the famous, original Ghan railway, the sandy red surface – complete with hidden holes – offering an ultimate test of endurance.