By Melissa Blewitt

Four local riders were among the 671 competitors who took on the 2026 Tatts Finke Desert Race.
Todd Smith (14th), Jesse Broad (156th), Thomas Jacobson (198th) and Mason Turner (239th) may not have made the podium, but they persevered and finished the Golden Anniversary event.
Todd has previously been crowned ‘King of the Desert’ in 2013, when he took victory in the 38th running of the annual off-road classic event.
The Tatts Finke Desert Race is an off road, multi terrain two-day race for bikes, cars and buggies through desert country from Alice Springs to the small Aputula (Finke) community. The race is held each year on the King’s Birthday long weekend in June. “Finke” as it is commonly known, is one of the biggest annual sporting events in the Northern Territory and has the reputation of being one of the most difficult offroad courses in one of the most remote places in the world.
David Walsh was named the outright winner of the bikes in a time of 03:49:27.938, with Campbell Hall (second) and Liam Walsh (third) rounding out the top three.
It is interesting to note, that 2026 is also the first time Honda has taken out top spot on the podium since 2013 when Todd Smith (P1) and Jacob Smith (P2) enjoyed success with team red.
More local racing action is on its way, with Condo Auto Sports holding their next Enduro weekend on 11 July, which will be followed by Yellow Mountain Cross Country on 1 and 2 August.