The 50th running of the Tatts Finke Desert Race has drawn to a close, after Travis Robinson and Paul Currie recorded a second consecutive win in Australia’s ultimate ‘there and back’ race.
The 2026 Finke Desert Race saw record entries, record attendances and some incredible storylines across both the Cars and Bikes fields.
Here are some of our key highlights from an incredible 50th anniversary running of the event.
- Finke isn’t going anywhere soon
The entire lead-up to the 50th anniversary Tatts Finke Desert Race was shrouded in rumours that 2026 would be the final running.
Of course, none of it was true.
Event organisers have been left scratching their heads as to the source of the whispers, and even tried to get ahead of it by publishing the event dates for 2027 ahead of time (June 4-7, if you were wondering).
As far as organisers are concerned, the Finke Desert Race has a long and prosperous future ahead of it, and will continue to be an important event on the calendar for Northern Territory tourism, the Alice Springs economy and for two-wheel and four-wheeled motorsport in general.
- Travis Robinson departs the AORC a winner
West Australian Travis Robinson and his navigator Paul Currie offered the biggest mic drop moment of all in the wake the 50th Finke: that this event would be their last.
Now a two-time Finke winner and twice an AORC champion, Robinson said the time was right to hang up his raising suit to focus on his family and business interests.
The decision draws the curtain on a bright career in the Comiskey Mining Services Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship, which Robinson has contested on and off for more than 10 years.
However, this isn’t a good bye, but merely a ‘see you later’. Robinson said he would continue to attend AORC events, primarily as a supporter to his brother Beau Robinson and navigator Shane Hutt, and to help with the next generation of talent coming through.
“Who knows, I might be back in 10 years or so once my kids are old enough to race,” the father of three said.
We wish Travis and his navigator Paul Currie well.
- Finke is bound for Hollywood
Anyone who has attended a Finke Desert Race or even watched coverage via the AORC YouTube page or social channels will know it offers the backdrop and storylines befitting of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Now, that could become a reality.
The 2026 event was awash with excitement with confirmation that a production company owned Chris Hemsworth and Ben Grayson, Wild State, are producing a documentary on the 2026 event.
Wild State’s primary focus for 2026 was on action sport star Robbie Maddison’s entry alongside Jake Williams in a Geiser Trophy Truck – with the pair running third in class and a credible seventh outright.
It has since been confirmed that script writers and videographers from Wild State also attended the 2026 race with a view to putting together a proposal for a broader Finke movie.
As they say in the classics, watch this space.
- This might not be the last we see of Toby Price at Finke
One of the biggest stories of the 2026 Finke Desert Race was Toby Price’s 11th hour inclusion in the event.
Price, a multiple winner in both bikes and cars, made a last-minute decision to attend Finke so that he could get along to the 50thanniversary dinner celebrations and catch up with friends. He flew to Alice Springs from Bundaberg on Wednesday morning and had already booked a flight to return home after Prologue on Saturday.
However, when Price’s long-time support Glenn Brinkman suffered a recurring back injury in the days leading up to Finke, it opened the door to the Dakar winner to contest the event in his Can-Am Maverick R.
Price drove Brinkman’s entry almost as if he’d stolen it, blitzing the SXS field by several seconds in Method Race Wheels Prologue and positioning himself 10th outright for the Race One leg from Alice Springs to Aputula.
Sadly, the fairytale return wasn’t to be after Price’s car suffered mechanical issues midway through Race One.
However, we’re hearing he thoroughly enjoyed the experience – so much so he isn’t ruling out returning in a Can-Am in 2027.
- You can teach an old dog new tricks
Hayden Bentley was a man on a mission at Finke.
The former Finke winner and AORC champion revelled in the tough conditions, and showed excellent consistency to finish fourth fastest on Race Day One, and third outright for the event.
The result marked a return to form for the South Australian, who debuted a new Mason Extreme 4WD entry for Finke and has vast experience to draw upon.
Such is the enormity of the Finke Desert Race, it’s easy to forget it isn’t simply a standalone fixture – but rather, serves as the second round of the four-stop Comiskey Mining Services Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship.
While the championship permutations from Finke aren’t yet available at the time of writing, don’t be surprised if Hayden Bentley finds himself at the pointy end following his podium result, as well as a 10th place finish at the season-opening Pooncarie Desert Dash.
It sets up an exciting storyline as the championship heads to Loveday in South Australia in July.
