Slick Walsh wins his first Finke crown
The Alice Springs local has now won the legendary Finke Desert Race for the first timeHometown hero David Walsh (KTM) has delivered a spectacular first-career Finke Desert Race victory after more than a decade of trying, easily winning the 2019 event by nearly five minutes.
With six-time winner Toby Price a non-starter while he continues to recover from a wrist injury, Walsh, 29, took full advantage of the Dakar champion’s absence to wrest control of the event on the opening day when he opened up a huge lead en route to Finke – a margin he wouldn’t relinquish on the 260km return trip to Alice Springs.
Walsh’s total time was three hours, 56 minutes and one second (3:56.01), with the Husqvarnas of Jacob Smith (4:01) and Beau Ralston (4:03.57) completing the podium.
“I’m just completely blown away and I’m over the moon with getting my first win here at Finke,” said Walsh, who was competing in the event for the 12th time.
“It’s truly a credit to the North Star Pastoral KTM Desert Racing Team, because without those guys, I wouldn't be here. They work around the clock and it’s like a big family – I can’t thank them enough for their efforts.
“Getting down to Finke with a five-minute lead made it easier for me, I knew I could probably get through the rough stuff a bit easier coming home, and that’s what I did. I’m so happy to finally get it after the 12 years that I’ve been trying and it’s an amazing feeling.”
Jack Simpson (Honda, 4:09.38) and Callum Norton (KTM, 4:14.19) completed the top five. Overall, there were 488 finishers and 124 DNFs.
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