Australasian Dirt Bike — June 2017

http://www.adbmag.com JUNE 2017| 95

http://www.adbmag.com.au AUGUST 2016 | 95

boycott the event because it had sold
out to commercial interests. But we
put that silly name up for five years
and I’ve never regretted it. Then
Wynn’s came in. Then Shell. And
now Tattersalls.”
The Finke roosted from success to
success and, only a few years later,
Mr Motocross Craig Dack, Stephen
Gall and Yankee desert racing
champion Jim Ellis were expected to
dominate the 1987 race. Yet it was
local rider Alan Roe who’d built a
10-minute lead with less than 100km
to the finish when his rear tyre
shredded. Banana bender Dave
Armstrong took Queensland’s and
Kawasaki’s only Finke victory ahead
of Dack and Gall. Roe was devastated
but got his revenge the following year.

Roe’s victory was the first for Honda

and the first of an unprecedented

string of wins for the locals; almost

exclusively on the CR500.

During this time the only exception

to a Territorian being crowned King

of the Desert was in 1996 when

three-time Baja 1000 winner

Californian Dan Ashcroft, ended

Gregory’s run of five successive Finke

victories with a victory of his own.

Ashcroft, the first and only

‘international’ winner, presumed the

perpetual Finke trophy was his in

perpetuity and was never seen again.

It wasn’t until 2003 that local lad

Darren Griffiths on a KTM 540 proved

that a four-stroke could produce a

win, then the following year Stephen

Greenfield proved the Honda CR500

still had life in it. “Stretched, the

CR500 was good for 185kmh,” recalls

Greeny, “only now can the four-

strokes match that.” However since

then the Finke has been four-stroke

territory and the ‘locals only’

influence has all but disappeared,

thanks largely to Ben Grabham and

Toby Price.

GRABHAM

Grabham arrived in 2005 with a fifth

before his first podium the following

year; both efforts on GHR-prepped

Honda CRF450Rs. Then followed

back-to-back victories for GHR Honda

which, together with his Australasian

Safari victories in 2007 and 2008, left

absolutely no doubt as to who was

King of the Desert.

MAIN: The prologue gives punters a

chance to see their heroes up close

1. Grabbo wins on the GHR Honda in 2008
   2. Range was an issue in the early days


2. Ben again, another $10,000 but on a Kato