Finke Desert Race icon David Walsh retires after five consecutive titles

A Finke Desert Race icon who has dominated the bike category for the past five years has called it quits at the top of the game, as the NT’s most gruelling race gets set for its 2025 edition.

Hometown hero David Walsh has retired with five titles at Finke.

A Finke Desert Race icon who has dominated the bike category for the past five years has called it quits at the top of the game, as the NT’s most gruelling race gets set for its 2025 edition.

Hometown hero David Walsh made it five King of the Desert titles in a row last year seeing off some heavy competition in that time period.

The KTM rider first won in 2019 and despite 2020 being cancelled due to Covid has dominated the Territory’s most grueling off-road event since.

His 2024 win means the Alice Springs local equalled Randall Gregory’s five year domination from 1991 to 1995 and sits one win behind Toby Price’s six titles.

In 2022 he had already confirmed his place in the history books when he beat Price’s record time to Aputula and back by 11 minutes.

Hometown hero David Walsh has won his fifth consecutive Finke bikes King of the Desert title. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Walsh knows as well as anyone how important the race is to Alice Springs each year.

It was always a dream of his to win the desert race from a young age, even if records were never on the mind.

“Finke has always been the best time of year for myself and I am so grateful for the opportunities it has presented me in my life,” Walsh said.

“I am extremely thankful to the entire committee, volunteers and land owners for such an amazing event and I wish them and all competitors all the best for this year.”

David Walsh was in command of the bike race for all 452 kilometres across the two-day race, gapping the field by almost 2 minutes to claim his fourth King of the Desert title at Finke.

Ahead of the return of the Finke Desert Race to Alice Springs, 220 volunteers have already registered, race committee vice president Kelsey Branford said.

“Two hundred and fifty volunteers is a good number for us, however we generally see over 300 as a final number by Thursday of race week each year. So we are tracking to another good showing of volunteers,” she said.

“We do have a push, as we do at this time every year, for Spectator Marshals along the racetrack, whose job it is to make sure spectators are adhering to the safety requirements.

Ms Branford said the best part about volunteering as a spectator marshall was that you could volunteer at the same while your camping – “ so you don’t have to sacrifice your weekend camping with family and friends,” she said.

“We encourage everyone to sign at least one person up from their camp to take care of that area of track.

David Walsh finishes first in the bike category of Finke Desert Race 2022. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

“Just like any major event or sporting environment – none of this would happen without volunteers. Each one of them is part of our Finke Family and we value them deeply.”

Recent rain in the Red Centre – a little over a fortnight before the race returns on June 6 – is a good thing, Ms Branford said, as it ‘it allows moisture to keep the dust down”.

On Wednesday, Alice Springs recorded over 40mm of rain, as

“We just don’t want too much of it as then it’s a bit too wet. The main thing we are hoping for this that it kills all these flies,” she added.

Originally published as Finke Desert Race icon David Walsh retires after five consecutive titles