OZ ATV :: The Australian ATV Forum

[cowchaser]

Yes well done to the Finke committee
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Smitty

[John Mags]

That is a great solution. Well done to everyone who made the right suggestions and well done to the Finke committee for following through.
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When I'm racing I'm living..... everything else is just waiting.

[Nina]

Thanks to those that offered support and suggestions rather than just bagging out the Committee. There were some really good ideas put forward and each one was given considerable attention.

PeteW "Good to hear that they have seen some sense and changed that stupid start order Wayno. Chances are that the solution would have come from within MA....".

Firstly, the changes to the start order had to be made. I would not have called this "stupid". There was a lot more behind the scenes that you may not have been aware of. Secondly, the solution did not come from MA. It came from you guys - the competitors! The solution that was adopted was modified from ideas put forward from a number of competitors who had similar thought trains.

[PeteW]

my apologies Nina, stupid probably not the best descriptive word to use... an I only mention MA because I know that they consulted with the state bodies to get recommendations for a solution to the issue where I know that the suggestion was made.

If that kind of consultation had of been made prior to entries opening then maybe it would have avoided the whole situation..... I understand why there needed to be a change and every event needs to evolve its procedures over time and I have seen the changes since I started coming to the event in 2005 which have made the FDR a better race.
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www.thumbpump.com
www.dirtcomp.com.au

[mannowar]

Hey fellas, what do you do with your car and trailer at The start/Finnish line while your out racing? are the pits there secure at all?
Would be a long way back home without a trailer!!
Cheers

[rider 950]

There would be no problems at all leaving car & trailer at start / finish line as there is 24 hour security . Plenty of cars ,trailers ,race transporters are there all weekend .

Cheers Wayno

[mannowar]

Thanks Wayno.

[donk]

hey mannowar have you got your transport sorted. I noticed you are in Mackay, I'm in Rocky and at this stage I'm doing the drive over by myself. PM me if you would like to chat with the view of sharing transport or at least travelling together.
Like to hear from you either way.
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It's not a lie, It's a controlled release of information!

[mannowar]

Hey donk, yeah mate we are towing the bike over, will be leaving here on the Saturday, more than welcome to travel with us if you want.
Cheers Ben

[rider 950]

Finke entries close today then the late fee applies , there's still plenty of spots to go .
Cheers Wayno

[donk]

just woundering if all us central qld/queenland/qqra mob think it would be a good idea to camp togeather at finke ie can someone put up a sign at finke so we can find each other. as you know finke is a bit like being in a mad max movie, what do you think ???
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It's not a lie, It's a controlled release of information!

[cowchaser]

2nd one I'm going to miss in 14 years due to injury. Guttered!!!
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Smitty

[Dino]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-07/finke-desert-race-china-team-final-preview/4739912
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Remember. We elect politicians, but we have to deal with bureaucracy.
Notice that crazy in the bureaucrats.

[doel#20]

Results after the run down to Finke

1 9 915 Sheridan, Clinton Spreyton, TAS Can-Am 450XMX 02:50:42
2 9 911 Sheridan, Troy Spreyton, TAS Can-Am 450XMX 02:50:59
3 9 992 Van Vliet, Mitchell Narre Warren North, VIC Yamaha YFZ450 02:52:52
4 9 939 Clissold, Brett Pirron Yallock, VIC Honda TRX 03:04:06
5 9 910 Geraghty, Patrick Alice Springs, NT Honda TRX 450 ER 03:04:16
6 9 993 Van Vliet, Harrison Narre Warren North, VIC Yamaha YZF450 03:04:30
7 9 988 Mcarthur, Jason Palmerston, NT Yamaha YFZ450R 03:06:42
8 9 991 Van Vliet, Jake Narre Warren North, VIC Honda CRF450 03:11:58
9 9 907 Paterson, James Evanston Park, SA KTM SX 03:15:46
10 9 979 Ward, Jay South Yunderup, WA Suzuki LTR450 03:16:53

[ATV PRO]

CLASS 09 : QUADS UP TO 40 YEARS (total 3)
1 9 915 Sheridan, Clinton Spreyton, TAS Can-Am 450XMX 02:50:42
2 9 911 Sheridan, Troy Spreyton, TAS Can-Am 450XMX 02:50:59
3 9 992 Van Vliet, Mitchell Narre Warren North, VIC Yamaha YFZ450 02:52:52
CLASS 10 : QUADS 40 YEARS AND OVER (total 3)
1 10 Y15 Blackburn, Craig Darling Heights, QLD Suzuki LTR450R 02:58:52
2 10 Y66 Mckay, Matthew North Yunderup, WA Suzuki LTR450 03:05:06
3 10 Y77 Tattingham, Eddie Darwin, NT KTM 525XC 03:05:19
_________________
Cheers
Len

ATV PRO Pty Ltd

[bullet]

A Y-class Renegade view...
Scrutineering night produced the usual array of colourful Quads. Spiersy entered his real nice dinosaur TRX250R, 3 Renegades, the shiniest Banshee you ever saw, and Leskys Blue neon lit Yamaha took the cake.

It was a great Finke this year and a bit different in places. The Quad only rows of 5 concept seemed to work pretty well, and I think the crowd and commentary loved the fact that some different rows of machines were lining up for a new drag race every minute.
The track itself had a few large sections of whoops graded out, but having said that the hardpack straight sections were probably rougher than usual.

I pro-logged not too bad but did not catch Lisa who was 2 rows ahead of me. I reckon I was a bit slower than most years, and Lisa was a bit faster this year.

Race day one, I started in Quad row 5. The first few corners have been completely redesigned and it favoured high speed cornering machines (not necessarily a Renegade 800). I nailed the 4x4 on the green light, blew them away to the holeshot and had a clear lead out into the desert.
By the 10km mark I caught the first 2 wheeler. I probably overtook 4 bikes before 30km and 2 or 3 bikes from the row behind overtook me.
The big IRS 4x4 is really fast on the rough straights, and the whoops were not that plentiful until Bundooma. A few Class 9 Quads got me before half way and the whoops in the mid section were as ugly as usual. I lost a bit of ground there before punching top speeds again in the last 50km to Finke. It still amazes me how Quads can overtake so many 2 wheelers on the flat stuff.
I had a clean run and noticed a lot less Quads than usual were DNF victims to the desert on day one. All up the event was looking a bit more kind than usual.

Race day two, My good run the day before saw me up on the second Quad row with some top level Quad racers. After a few 'a-hem' "well wishing" texts from Desert Racing Legend Smitty, we were sore as buggery and lined up to do it all again. The light went green and my Renegade exploded out in front... well for the first maybe 80 metres, then McKays Suzuki crept up along side me and just kept pulling away. Man that thing goes. I was flying and McKays dust just kept stretching further and further into the desert. Within the first 5 km of whoops Harry V V walked passed me in the deep rollers like I was a snail.
Once you get into the race home, you can't tell how far away anyone else is and all you can do is push out your best. I was storming the very rough straights and making up great time. I caught McKay back in the most ridiculously dusty section somewhere in the middle. I passed him and kept pushing while looking for more Y numberplates.

I came in 2nd across the line, just 'ahead' of Blackburn and McKay who had lead day one. It was going to be close and no-one knew who was going to be where.
Over 6 hours something total, I was 6 minutes off the pace in 4th spot, and I kept it clean and had good runs both ways. Blackburn had his dramas and wasted valuable minutes on the on the way home, but after a super run down he still managed to retain a good overall lead and take the number 1 podium spot.
Awesome job for a rookie effort Craig. Your training paid off and you really showed the Y class how quick the oldies can be
Congratulations.

Awesome event, well done to all those who had a crack
_________________
Can-Am X Team
Bullet #Y12. MrsB #Y18.

[Daryl R]

Excellent report bullet

[surfin]

Well it was 18 months planning for my first Finke trip and it all came off well in the end. I raced in class 10, quads over 40.

In the end I came home at the top of the podium, which I was very happy with, and relieved.

So here is a bit of my story and some pics along the way:

Prologue day: I had a good run, passed 2 quads on the track and came in with a time of 6:12, placing me 51st overall, and 6th out of the quads.

Race day 1: started at 11:46, at the pointy end of the field which was good I figured as there might be less dust. The quads started in rows of 5 quads this year.

Got a roaring start when my quad stalled on the line and wouldn't start for 10-15 seconds. Yay. Not to worry I caught up with the rider who I figured was my main competition (Rick Beer) and I trailed him for 20-30 k's or so. He wasn't going quick enough for me so I soon passed him and then passed the next quad, who was my next fastest rival (Matt McKay).

I thought my clutch was slipping at about the 40km mark. Not much I could do except push on, but it turned out to be ok. It must have been the terrain I was on at the time.

My goggles got some crap on them from the stuff I had in my drink bottle, so it meant i couldn't see a lot. This added to the sweat that formed inside my goggles when I was going slow in the whoops meant I had low visibility. I rode for a while without goggles and that helped dry them out.

At the end of the day I was 4th outright in the quads, and 1st in class 10 with a 7 minute lead.

During maintenance we noticed I had a number of cracks in the frame around the front suspension. Luckily we were able to borrow a welder and got that sorted. Also had about an inch of sand in the bottom of the air box. Looked like my Funnelweb filter was doing a good job

Race Day 2: Started 84th outright at 12pm on the first row of the quads. I was up against all the fast guys on quads from class 9, so I waited on the line for a few seconds for them to get away. no point me racing them through the first few corners when they were not my competition.

I was having a very good run until the fast section between Rodinga and Deep Well. One momentary lapse of concentration saw me off the road rolling the quad into a ditch. That wasn't the problem, the issue was I couldn't start the quad for some reason. I was becoming very agitated. After I estimate 7 minutes a number of people pushed started me and away it went thank goodness. All was not well though, the throttle was partially jammed on, I had no left hand rear brake anymore, and my steering damper also broke.

So for the last 100km's, riding the quad at high speed was a major handful, especially the head shake with no steering damper. In the end I caught up some time, but at the finish line no one knew who had won, as the top 4 riders all came in close together.

After some nervous moments it was confirmed I had first place, luckily due to the lead I had from day 1.

A big shout out to the business and people who have helped me:

Team IronPot 701
ATVPRO who supplies the awesome PEPS suspension and Goldspeed tyres (look new after 2 days of riding)
Colac Motorcycles who do my motor work. It was fast and never gave up
Funnelweb filter - John has supported me from day 1 with a great product that works well and keeps dirt out

So here are some pics:

Camp at Alice:



All the quads on my trailer:



Going over everything with a fine tooth comb:



Welding up the bottom motor mounts after finding they had both broken clean off, and another was cracked:



Friday morning with the Channel 7 Sunrise show:



Friday Night at Scrutineering:











AT the start of Prologue:





Check out my home made Steg Pegs. They worked great...no sore back for me



Prolog and Race Pics (courtesy of MovingImages.com.au)










After the presentation:







So that's about it. Another rider in our team on bike 412 smashed the rest of them in his class and came in about 30 minutes ahead of everyone else after the 2 days. So we ended up with 2 podiums.

Cheers
_________________
Team Ironpot 701 Just Doin It

2011/2012 National Vets Champion 35-45
2012 SA Vets Champion
2012 VIC Vets Champion

Thanks to:

Team IronPot
FunnelWeb Filters
ATV PRO/PEPS
Coastal 4x4 Hervey Bay
Colac Motorcycles
and my credit card

[Steve1965]

Well done Team Ironpot. Great photos Hook. look forward to seeing you guys again

[Steve1965]

Hey. Lovin' this self promotion guys. See you there again next year

[Steve1965]

Well done Craig. Love this story. Well said!!