KTM's Ben Grabham has won his fourth Tattersall's Finke Desert title with a badly broken hand.
Grabham crashed hard on leg 1 of the event yesterday but continued and hid his injury from race organisers, medical staff, and competitors 'because I didn't want the other riders to hunt me down'.
He finished today's event saying it was the toughest race win in his competition career.
In second place today was a Finke debutant Jarrod Bewley KTM (3 hours 59 minutes 37 secs) followed by local Alice Springs Husaberg rider Ryan Branford (4 hours 6 minutes 59 secs).
Grabham's winning time over the event was 3 hours 58 minutes 59 seconds as compared with the time set by last year's winner Toby Price (4 hours 3 minutes 25 seconds) who succumbed to mechanical problems on Day 1 this year.
After finishing the event Grabham said he 'made a silly mistake yesterday (leg 1 Alice Springs to Finke) and missed a gear and went over the handle bars.
'I was worried about my bike and blocked the pain out on the way to Finke, but I woke up halfway through the night and my wrist had locked up and my fingers wouldn't move. Luckily it all freed up about half an hour before today's start.
It's one of the hardest races I have ever won, but KTM had put in too much effort for me to give up.
Not finishing last year was disappointing, but if I can I will keep coming back for another ten years', he said.
Second placed rider Bewley said there had been 'no team orders in the KTM camp and that he looked forward to returning to the event that he hadn't entered previously on the basis that it 'had scared him'.
Local hero Ryan Branford whose impressive Finke record (1st 2006, 2nd 2007 & 2008, 3rd 2010) continues with his third placing today.
The amateur Alice Springs rider said that he was pleased with the result 'as a bloke who works during the week and rides at the weekend for fun' to keep up with the professional riders.
Branford said he was satisfied with his ride on leg 2 today and was impressed with his Husaberg machine.
