KTM Team ready for Finke

Motorex KTM Off-Road Racers are leaving no stone unturned in their preparation for the 2010 Finke Desert Race with team riders Ben Grabham, Brad Williscroft and new comers Toby Price and Chad Billett spending weeks testing in the area for the four day event.

2009 runner up Brad Williscroft will wear two hats in Finke, as Motorex KTM Off-Road Racing Team Manager, and competitor, as he looks to support his fellow riders and back up his second place podium last year.

Commenting on the official KTM team entry Williscroft said, “The boys and I have been travelling up to Alice Springs and testing on the ride to Finke for the past few months to ensure we’re all well prepared for the sprint format ahead.

“I’m confident we will succeed, but anything can happen in a desert race of this calibre, so it’s all about preparation and being ready for the challenging terrain ahead. I obviously have my own goal to get on the podium racing the KTM 505 SX-F, but at the same time this is a team entry, and I’ll provide whatever support that is required to help each of the Motorex KTM Off-Road Racing Team riders cross the line safely with a performance based result.

Three time consecutive winner of Finke, and reining number one rider, Ben Grabham is returning with his usual cool, calm persona commenting, “All my testing has been going well, I’m very familiar with Finke now, and really enjoy coming out here and having some fun pushing the KTM 505 SX-F through the challenging terrain.”

Current leader of the Australian Off-Road Championship, Toby Price has enjoyed his first year riding with KTM, and has so far dominated in all events he has entered, but Finke is new to him so he doesn’t know what to expect. “I’ve been putting in some decent hours testing between Alice Springs and Finke trying to get a feel for the KTM 450 SX-F in desert style terrain. I’m so much more accustomed to enduro and short sprint racing, but I’m really enjoying the high speeds on the NT terrain, so I’m just looking forward to getting into it,” said Price.

Another new comer to the team for Finke only is 2009 third placed rider, Chad Billet who last year raced for Honda and this year will be swapping colours to ride the KTM 450 SX-F along with Toby Price. “This is my fourth time at Finke, and last year was my best result of third overall,” said Billet. “I don’t want to speculate any positioning as that could come across as being cocky, but I’m confident should everything run well on race day, KTM has a good chance to be on the podium as in previous years.”

Promoters call the Tattersall’s Finke Desert Race the greatest desert race in the southern hemisphere. It attracts record entrants and thousands of spectators. For further details on the Finke Desert Race see www.finkedesertrace.com.au