MOREE rider Camo Loder came, saw and conquered at his first Tatts Finke desert race earlier this month, returning home the winner of his class in the iconic off-road, multi-terrain two-day race for bikes, cars and buggies.
Held each year on the King’s Birthday long weekend in June, the Tatts Finke Desert Race covers desert country from Alice Springs to the small Aputula community – known as Finke.
At 22, Loder was competing for the first time at Finke, which saw hundreds of off-road riders and drivers from Across Australia converge on the Northern Territory outback.
Loder rode his KTM 300EXC to win the Class 1 for 251cc and above two-stroke bikes, beating Jason Bridges from Miners Rest in Victoria and William Thurlbeck from Leanyer in the Northern Territory.
Both minor place-getters rode Husqvarna TE 300s.
Loder finished 67th overall from nearly 400 riders in the motorcycle division.
Finke is one of the biggest sporting events held in the Northern Territory. It draws thousands of spectators from across Australia each year and covers nearly 450km across two days.
“On Sunday, we raced 223km from Alice Springs to Finke and the next day, we turned around and did the same thing again,” Loder smiled.
“When we finished on the first day, I realised I was leading by about five seconds.
“The next three or four riders behind me were only about 20 seconds back – everyone was really close.
“On the second day, I managed to pull about a two-minute gap and did much better,” he said.
Loder is still coming to terms with the fact he won his class at his first attempt.
“I’d never been to Fink before. It was awesome; I was hoping just to finish the race, let alone get a position,” he said.
“I didn’t think I’d even get a podium finish in my class, but to win was awesome – I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
Loder will this weekend compete in the huge two-day Ironman MX Series at Moree Motorcycle Club’s fully revamped, national-class circuit.
The June 28-29 event, Round 4 of the series, will draw riders from across New South Wales and Queensland.
Fellow competitor, Chris Thomas, said the round 4 series at Moree was one of the club’s biggest events.
“It’s a fantastic event, and probably the biggest for the year,” Thomas said.
“This is an inter-club event and part of a series that’s held all over New South Wales. We’ll get lots of good riders, and it will be a great two days of racing.
“The Moree track is the best – by a long shot – and any chance we get to race there is great for the club.
“There are plenty of different classes over two days, for men, women, teenagers and kids, and there are lots of junior classes,” he said.
“On Sunday, there will be A-grade, B-grade and C-grade and Junior Lites for the older kids as well as Open All Powers, which is basically any senior rider on any sort of bike.”
Entries for all classes can be lodged at Ironman MX Series Round 4 – MOREE.
“I expect about 150 riders to compete over the two days,” Thomas said.
Ironman MX Series Round 4
When: Saturday and Sunday, June 28-29
Where: Moree Motorcycle Club, about 10km north of Moree on Newell Highway
Time: From 6am, Saturday
For more information and regular updates go to Moree Motorcycle Club Facebook Page.
