FINKE 2011

[Dwayne OMember]

Shit,
Looks like I owe my mate Burgs a drink or two, I told him I`d be surprised if he finished with his suspension standard out there :dry:
So he ends up finishing in 77th Overall with 5hrs26.45 :whistle: Later revised to 87th ,,,, Awsome result

I will shake his hand when he returns to work hey :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[alanMember]

just checked results shane munaz got 35 overall and second in the over 250 two stroke class and lost his tittle won his class last year on a ktm 300 still a good result but.reckon it makes it a bit more interesting to follow if you know someone racing .the results are herehttp://www.finkedesertrace.com.au/fdr_race/bikeoveralloutright/

[GregMember]

Race Day 2 (Bikes) – Grabham wins Finke for KTM with broken hand

Last Updated on Monday, 13 June 2011 16:23
Ben Grabham #X98 KTM has won his fourth Tattersall’s Finke Desert title with a badly broken hand.

Grabham crashed hard on leg 1 of the event yesterday but continued and hid his injury from race organisers, medical staff, and competitors   ‘because I didn’t want the other riders to hunt me down’.
 
He finished today’s event saying it was the toughest race win in his competition career.
 
In second place today was a Finke debutant Jarrod Bewley #X78 KTM (3 hours 59 minutes 37 secs) followed by local Alice Springs rider Ryan Branford #3 Husaberg (4 hours 6 minutes 59 secs).
 
Grabham’s winning time over the event was 3 hours 58 minutes 59 seconds as compared with the time set by last year’s winner Toby Price (4 hours 3 minutes 25 seconds) who succumbed to mechanical problems on Day 1 this year.
 
After finishing the event Grabham said he ‘made a silly mistake yesterday (leg 1 Alice Springs to Finke) and missed a gear and went over the handle bars.
 
‘I was worried about my bike and blocked the pain out on the way to Finke, but I woke up halfway through the night and my wrist had locked up and my fingers wouldn’t move. Luckily it all freed up about half an hour before today’s start.
 
It’s one of the hardest races I have ever won, but KTM had put in too much effort for me to give up.
 
Not finishing last year was disappointing, but if I can I will keep coming back for another ten years’, he said. 
 
Second placed rider Jarrod Bewley said there had been ‘no team orders in the KTM camp and that he looked forward to returning to the event that he hadn’t entered previously on the basis that it ‘had scared him’.

[WayneMember]

How tough is this race???

You can just imagine blokes (& a few girls) planning for months, if not years, for their assault on this Iconic Desert Race – and then they get there and realise how full on it really is!

504 entered the race……..24 didn’t even make it to the start of the Prologue (short timed section to decide your starting position) either they crashed or were injured in the days leading up to the race, mechanical problem leading up to the race or couldn’t front up for other reasons. (Jason Hill & Leigh Adams etc)
7 started by didn’t finish the Prologue race
38 didn’t finish Day 1 (Toby Price etc) (7 ran out of time (4hr max.))
13 didn’t Start Day 2 after finishing Day 1 (mechanical problem, injury etc)
41 didn’t finish Day 2 (Jake Smith etc)
only 394 finished!!!!

1st Ben Grabham………..38 seconds infront of 2nd placed Jared Bewley (both on 450 KTM’s)
3rd was Ryan Branford on his 570 Berg.
Then Todd Smith on a CRF450.
Wonka on a 450 KTM was 6th (1st in seniors 40 to 44 years old)

In the up to 250cc 2 strokes – the first 3 in class were YZ250’s
In the 250cc and over 2 strokes – the first 3 were KTM300’s

[Dwayne OMember]

Finally caught up with Burgs at work this arvo (he is on arvo shift) and talked briefly about his Finke experience,
He loved it to bits I think, was quietly stoked with his results (who wouldn`t be ???) but reckons his CRF was not performing at it`s best !!!
Prologue was, quote, “Easy & Fast”
Sat run was, quote, “Easy to ride as long as you were consistent”
Sun return run was a, quote “Bastard 4 hr run but still happy to finish”

His `06 CRF450 apparently had valves playing up somewhere towards the end of day one, thing had closed up after the finish & would not start, so he only changed the Air Filter, didn`t worry about the Oil Change etc as he , quote “Had the SHITS & went to bed” :laugh:

Sunday morning, had to tow start the bike with a ute, try & keep it runing lined up on the start (it boiled over a couple of times, so he had to stop it but managed to keep it warm enough to re start,,,,, Then rode it like he stole it to get it home to Alice & finish in great position :laugh:

He reckons the event overall is pretty easy, as long as you pace yourself (prepare your ride better) :whistle:
Just had to keep it upright & watch your lines etc

He is a pretty cool customer for a young bloke, and I hope he has another crack next year

[Rolf GoldbergerMember]

Not bad as the top 3 placed bikes were made in the same factory…

[GregMember]

Gotchya wrote:

Not bad as the top 3 placed bikes were made in the same factory…

Well there you go I didn’t know Bergs were made in India as well, learn something new everyday

TB

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