Have you read the Supplementary Regulations and Motorsport Australia Manual? Most questions can be answered from these.
HOW TO ENTER
GENERAL ENTRY OPENING DATE
Friday 28 November 2025, 9am (ACST)
Entries will close at 5:00pm (ACST) on Friday 22 May 2026, for all crews.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION BEFORE YOU ENTER
- Entries are accepted on a first-in, best-dressed basis
- There are maximum field numbers – once reached, entries will go to a waitlist in the order they are received
- Entries are NON-TRANSFERRABLE
- Make sure your contact details (email, phone, address) are current and accurate
- Check your email and SMS regularly for important updates
- The event is not responsible for missed communications due to incorrect contact details or spam filters
COMPLETING YOUR ENTRY
When you access the entry portal, you will need to provide:
- Driver & Crew Names
- Competition class selection
- Preferred race number
- Machine details
- Number of previous Finke races you've competed in
- Whether this is your first Finke
- Acknowledgement that you have read and understood the supplementary regulations
ENTRY FEES
Standard Entry (General Entries) Full entry fee applies (see Supplementary Regulations)
PAYMENT AND CONFIRMATION
Once you complete your entry form and payment is processed, you will receive a confirmation email advising whether you have:
- Secured an official entry, OR
- Been placed on the waitlist
WAITLIST PROCESS
If the maximum field capacity (200) is reached when you enter, you will automatically be placed on a waitlist. Waitlisted entrants maintain their first-in, best-dressed position and will be contacted if a spot becomes available.
WITHDRAWALS AND REFUNDS
Withdrawal Deadline: Friday 22 May 2026
Official Entrants:
If you withdraw by the deadline, you will receive a refund minus a $250 administration fee.
If you do not withdraw by the deadline, you will not receive a refund.
Waitlisted Entrants:
- If you withdraw by the deadline: Full refund (no administration fee)
- If you remain on the waitlist after entries close: Full refund automatically processed
No entries will be accepted after the final close date being Friday 22 May 2026.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Finke Desert Race Inc takes no responsibility for communications not received due to:
- Incorrect or out-of-date contact details
- Emails being filtered into junk/spam folders
It is your responsibility to ensure your contact information is current and to check your junk mail folders regularly.
Confirmation of your entry status and details to login and complete the online entry form will be emailed to you, this may take up to a week.
Special Endorsement/Entry Requirements
If you are unsure if you will meet the entry requirements contact Motorsport Australia to clarify.
Call 1300 883 959 or email
Pre-Running
The Tatts Finke Desert Racecourse is an open and public road every day of the year and is only closed for the event on Sunday and Monday. The course may be driven by any person holding a valid civil drivers licence at any time in vehicles that are registered or able to be registered in the Northern Territory. Conditional recreational registration of ATV/UTV’s offered by another registering jurisdiction is not valid in the Northern Territory. Interstate registered ATV/UTV’s cannot be legally used on a public street or public place in the Northern Territory. This includes the Finke track and Maryvale and Ghan Heritage Roads. The Northern Territory’s conditional registration scheme is only valid for specific work-related purposes and only then where these tasks cannot be conducted using an Australian Design Rules (ADR) compliant vehicle.
Prologue Track Access
Competitors may walk or ride pushbikes around the prologue track during designated times. These times will be published nearer the event.
Finke Camp Ground
Facilities at Apatula community (Finke) are extremely limited. There are toilets located in the camp ground but no showers are available. The General Store is open for business on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. There is basic food supplies, opal unleaded and diesel fuel available. This is very limited mobile service.
The entire race camp is a dry zone and consumption of alcohol is prohibited. This includes within the community and on both banks of the Finke River.
