Waters brothers impress at 2022 Finke Desert Race
The Waters brothers tend to fly under the radar at Finke, but their stellar performances are slowly giving them the attention they deserveAs the Finke Desert Race kicked off for 2022, plenty of eyes were on two of Victoria’s fastest riders, Mildura brothers Brodie and Nick Waters. Both recorded impressive results in 2021, each finishing in the top 10.
Running the number 6 plate from last years’ result, 30-year-old Brodie Waters (Team Waters AMX Superstore) continued his impressive form once again in 2022, on board a KTM 500 EXC-F.
A strong prologue result saw Brodie rolling off the grid in P4 out of a competitive 500 plus rider list, also seeing him line up beside (now) three-time King of Desert and Alice Springs local man, David Walsh.
Brodie finished Day 1 of the 226km trek from Alice Springs to Finke in 4th place, stopping the clock at 1h51m30s. But there was late heart break for the Mildura based rider. Unbeknownst to Brodie, a costly mistake was made as officials accidentally let him start 30 seconds earlier than he should have.
Although he crossed the line on Day 2 in 4th overall, this place would soon be taken off him as 30s was added onto his overall time – pushing him down to 5th overall and only 8 seconds off 4th place, with a combined time of 3h42m50s.
It was a different story, however, for the #7 rider, Nick Waters [Team Waters AMX Superstore]. Nick, the youngest of the Waters brother trio (eldest Josh Waters competes in the ASBK – Australian Superbike Championship), was the talk of the paddock after putting in competitive times throughout pre running which put him in podium contention.
Unfortunately, a costly prologue saw Nick starting the 2022 Finke Desert Race from 7th on the grid. Knowing he had the pace to be at the front, determination got the better of the 28-year-old, which resulted in a hefty crash a few kilometers out from the first fuel stop.
In true motorcycle racing fashion, despite carrying some heavy injuries, Nick picked himself and the bike up as he attempted an impressive feat to continue the race, but after running a few kilometres and making it to the fuel stop, he made the tough call to retire from the race. Upon further examination at the Alice Springs hospital, Nick suffered from a concussion and two badly bruised lungs that were operating at approximately 45 per cent capacity.
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