Hattah Desert Race to pack 'em in

Desert racing is all the rage in Australia at the moment, and there is no better illustration of the fervent support than this weekend's demanding Hattah Desert Race in Victoria.

Now one of Australia's biggest off-road events, Hattah has attracted a staggering number of entries across the seven senior classes, including current enduro and motocross riders, a few stars from the past, and a posse looking to transfer their skills from other motorcycle racing disciplines.

The senior brigade, competing in either the ironman (individual) or pony express classes, will complete eight laps of a 35km course near Mildura.

The high-speed event takes approximately four hours to complete, and features a smorgasbord of varied terrain, from tight, technical sections to deep sand and open paddocks.

This year's race will feature Ben Grabham and local rider Warren Smart, who have won the last two Hattahs.

Grabham (KTM) crushed the opposition in this year's Finke Desert Race, and he's currently beyond reproach as Australia's finest exponent of the high-speed, hold-your-nerve off-road scene.

But desert racing always manages to throw up curve balls, and if Grabham isn't on top of his game the likes of Smart (Suzuki), Peter Boyle (Honda), Ryan Branford (Honda), Caleb Auricht (Honda), Shane Diner (Kawasaki), Tye Simmonds (KTM), Matt Fish (KTM) or the Smith brothers - Jacob (Honda) and Todd (Yamaha) - will be reading and waiting like stealth bombers.

Another interesting entry is that of motocross star Daniel McCoy (Kawasaki), who recently returned to Australia after severing ties with a team in America.

Boyle, 22, is making his second attempt at Hattah after finishing third in 2008.

"Last year's race was one of the toughest off-road races on the national calendar and I'm expecting that this year's race will be even more demanding," Boyle said. It's a real challenge to maintain a consistent pace over the length of the race."

"To account for the higher speeds and endurance of this race I've fitted a smaller sprocket to the rear wheel, added a bigger fuel tank and adjusted the steering dampener to a stiffer setting."

A prologue will be held on Saturday to determine the starting order for Sunday's race, which will start at 9.00am.

There is also a junior component, which will be 11 laps of an 8km course, to be held on Saturday afternoon.