Finke Desert Race

David Fellows is aiming for a Finke hat trick in his Jimco-Toyota buggy but will have to overcome Brad Prout, who qualified quickest and was leading the race last year before his Jimco caught fire and was destroyed.

Brad Gallard is also up for the outright win in his Chevy Trophy Truck and has good Finke form after posting the quickest second-leg time on the out-and-back desert course in 2009. And he has more power for twenty-ten.

The production 4x4 class is shaping as a two-way battle between Geoff Pickering in a new Mitsubishi Pajero and defending champion, 18-year-old Clayton Chapman.

But all the car crews will also have to watch out for the bike blokes who are traditionally fast at Finke, which is running for its 36th year over a 500-kilometre course from Alice Springs to Finke and back. 

Racing starts tomorrow morning with a prologue to set the start order, before the first run on Sunday before an overnight break under the stars before the return run on Monday.