.jpg)
After qualifying 25th outright Chris Brenton was where he wanted to be, at the front of the quads on the start to his Finke debut race.
He started on a grid with 6 bikes, of which one beat him off the start. Once they were out of the tight bends they and many other bikes passed as it is impossible to match the speed of a bike on the straights. Being passed didn’t bother Chris, it just made him want to go faster, and he did all the way to Finke, in a very impressive time of 2hs 37mins 26secs, which put him 10mins 37secs in front of Aaron ovens in second place. At every check point Brenton increased his lead making his ride more remarkable for the fact that he only got to see 65kms of the track before the event. Once the other name riders came to the Finke finish line it was clear that Brenton was running 1st with Ovens 2nd and Luke Beechey in 3rd. Last years’ winner, Paul Smith, was sitting in 4th.
While Brenton was having a well earned rest, the KTM 505sx was cleaned and given a thorough going over to ensure nothing was going to come loose during the second half of this grueling race. A front ball joint and rear shock were changed. The Maxxis I Razr tyres held up well and didn’t need changing. The engine oil was changed, filter cleaned and refueled and the bike was good to go another round.
Brenton started the second day at 11:57am, while Ovens and Beechey left 4mins behind. It was evident from the start Brenton wanted to stamp his authority on this race and by the first check point had extended his lead over Ovens by another 2 mins with Beechey a further minute behind his team mate. Brenton reached the second check point 10 mins ahead of Beechey and 17 mins ahead of Smith who was now running in 3rd. Ovens was still running but was having bike problems. It seemed no one was going to catch Brenton and he would ride home for a fairytale debut win at Finke, but fate would prove otherwise when Brenton's bike lost power and came to a halt. He watched a lot of the other riders ride past before he found someone to give him a tow for the 100kms into Alice.
That sums up what the Finke Dessert Race is all about, it can cut you down to size no matter how good you’re going, but people return every year to put themselves to the test.
Lance Brenton
He started on a grid with 6 bikes, of which one beat him off the start. Once they were out of the tight bends they and many other bikes passed as it is impossible to match the speed of a bike on the straights. Being passed didn’t bother Chris, it just made him want to go faster, and he did all the way to Finke, in a very impressive time of 2hs 37mins 26secs, which put him 10mins 37secs in front of Aaron ovens in second place. At every check point Brenton increased his lead making his ride more remarkable for the fact that he only got to see 65kms of the track before the event. Once the other name riders came to the Finke finish line it was clear that Brenton was running 1st with Ovens 2nd and Luke Beechey in 3rd. Last years’ winner, Paul Smith, was sitting in 4th.
While Brenton was having a well earned rest, the KTM 505sx was cleaned and given a thorough going over to ensure nothing was going to come loose during the second half of this grueling race. A front ball joint and rear shock were changed. The Maxxis I Razr tyres held up well and didn’t need changing. The engine oil was changed, filter cleaned and refueled and the bike was good to go another round.
Brenton started the second day at 11:57am, while Ovens and Beechey left 4mins behind. It was evident from the start Brenton wanted to stamp his authority on this race and by the first check point had extended his lead over Ovens by another 2 mins with Beechey a further minute behind his team mate. Brenton reached the second check point 10 mins ahead of Beechey and 17 mins ahead of Smith who was now running in 3rd. Ovens was still running but was having bike problems. It seemed no one was going to catch Brenton and he would ride home for a fairytale debut win at Finke, but fate would prove otherwise when Brenton's bike lost power and came to a halt. He watched a lot of the other riders ride past before he found someone to give him a tow for the 100kms into Alice.
That sums up what the Finke Dessert Race is all about, it can cut you down to size no matter how good you’re going, but people return every year to put themselves to the test.
Lance Brenton
Finke Desert Race