2014 winners Toby Price (KTM) and Shannon and Ian Rentsch (Jimco Buggy) line up again this year for the 2015 Tatts Finke Desert Race that features a record breaking entry of 600 bikes and 134 cars.
In the bike field, four other former winners Phil Lovett (1981, 1982, 1985), Rick Hall (1999, 2002), Darren Griffiths (2003), and Todd Smith (2013) will compete against Price who has three Finke titles to his name (2010, 2012, 2014).
Price, from Maitland in NSW, finished third in his first Dakar Rally attempt in South America.
The huge bike field also includes last year‰Ûªs other podium placed riders ‰ÛÒ David Walsh (Honda) from Alice Springs who came in second and the third man home, Ivan Long (KTM) from Tanunda in South Australia.
The Victorian son and father Rentsch combination in the car section of the event will also square up against the South Australian crew of Jack Rhodes/David Pullino (Jimco Buggy) who placed second last year, and the third placed Jimco Buggy of West Australian Travis Robinson.
Other notable competitors in the car division include Dave Fellows (SA) who has a record total of 6 Finke victories (5 as a driver and 1 as a navigator), Mark Burrows (Vic) 5 wins, Hayden Bentley (SA) 2 wins, and Greg Gartner (SA) and Brad Gallard (SA) who have also tasted victory in Australia‰Ûªs greatest desert race.
Toby Price‰Ûªs winning time last year was 3h 56m 29s while Shannon and Ian Rentsch covered the 452 kilometre total distance in a time of 3 hours 37 minutes and 2 seconds.
Prologue for this year‰Ûªs event to determine the start order will be held on an 8 kilometre circuit at the Alice Springs start/finish on Saturday June 6 with Race Day 1 on Sunday June 7 for the 226 kilometre journey to the overnight stop at Finke before the field returns to the Alice Springs finish on Monday June 8.
Tatts spokesperson Claire Taylor said Tatts was thrilled to continue its long history of supporting the Tatts Finke Desert Race, particularly this year on the momentous 40 year anniversary of the iconic event.
‰ÛÏTatts supports entertainment for local communities in the Northern Territory where we‰Ûªve operated for more than 18 years, and what better way to show our support than sponsoring the biggest annual sporting event on the Central Australia calendar!‰Û
