T
here is no other event
in Australia with the
prestige of the Finke
Desert Race where
local riders take
charge. In Alice
Springs, the Northern
Territory’s fastest emerge from the
woodwork on the Queen’s Birthday
long weekend to dominate the top-10
and collect the silverware before
heading back to work on the Tuesday.
David Walsh is one of them. At the
moment, he could be the fastest
rider to not win Finke but it’s not for
want of trying. The 29-year-old has
dedicated over a decade to the
460km dash through the desert but
his memories of Finke date back
even further.
“Growing up in Alice Springs,
Finke was a huge event for us every
year. We’d all go out camping to
watch the race even though none of
us rode dirtbikes,” he says. Yes, as
shocking as it may seem, Walsh
didn’t leave the maternity ward
riding a PeeWee 50 like so many of
his rivals. It wasn’t until he was
almost a teenager that he threw a
leg over a bike.AUSSIE RULES
“I didn’t start riding until I was
about 12 when I got my first bike, a
Kawasaki KX80. I really started to
get into the sport from that point.
My brother Michael and I just took
up dirtbike riding as a bit of fun
because our main sport growing up
was Aussie Rules, which is really
popular out here.”
The pair were soon hooked on two
wheels and David’s natural ability
on a bike was obvious. Aussie Rules
quickly took a backseat as the
dirtbike bug sunk its teeth in and
David became more and more
invested in racing.
“I slowly stopped playing footy to
dedicate more time to riding and
nowadays I don’t play at all, I just
focus on my riding. I would play more
footy given the chance because I enjoy
it but if I injured myself it would
throw off my entire year. Finke is
only once a year and you have to be
100% committed. You need to be inperfect shape if you want a shot at
running up the front.”
You would think someone with
David’s talent would be a force on the
national off-road racing scene but
living in Alice means he’s a day or
two’s drive from major races besides
Finke. “When I was younger I almost
gave up on the racing scene
altogether but I decided to put all my
energy into Finke.
“We’re 1500km from Darwin or
Adelaide so it’s a pretty big expense
trying to follow the professional
racing scene. With the Finke track
pretty much on my doorstep I decided
to put all my time into that.”
Instead of trying to make a living
out of racing, he went to work with
his dad and completed his
carpentry ticket.
“I’ve worked for my dad’s company
for 12 years, that’s my 7am – 5pm. I
train after and before work. Any spare
time I can find I’ll be training for
Finke but it’s all a balancing because I
have a young family.”
David has two kids, Kaylee, 9, and
Sophie, 1, and they’re expecting
another. “My wife, Kate, is due the
week after Finke so we timed thatWalsh will be KTM mounted again in 2019“When I was
younger I
almost gave
up on the
racing scene all
together but I
decided to put
all my energy
into Finke”
http://www.adbmag.com.au JUNE 2019 | 89