Madi Healey after being crowned Queen of the Desert at the 2024 Finke Desert Race.
The prospect of engines revving and red dirt spitting has the reigning Queen of the Desert champing at the bit to retain her scorched throne.
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Kialla product and motorbike riding prodigy Madi Healey is returning to the scene of her 2024 triumph.
The annual Finke Desert Race will be held in the Northern Territory across the King’s Birthday weekend.
A must-watch event for all motorheads, the Finke Desert Race features bike, quadbike, car and buggy classes.
The race is a two-day there-and-back event, with the first day’s competition an endurance ride from Alice Springs to the community of Finke before competitors reverse the leg on the second day for a combined total time.
Healey was the winner of the women’s class last year and is hoping to go back-to-back in 2025.
The 20-year-old said this year she had had much a better preparation for the endurance event.
“About two months ago, we went (to Alice Springs), you can actually ride the track, so we were there pre-running on the track just to get that track knowledge of the dunes and stuff like that,” Healey said.
“We were doing maybe 650km in (five days); it is a lot of hours on a bike, but that is what you have to do to finish the race.
“I feel like I am a lot quicker (this year) as well, so I am feeling very excited coming into the race.
“My training started back late last year just to get that endurance fitness.”
Riders must navigate treacherous deep sand, rolling whoops and fuel-burning straightaways throughout the 460km course all in the blazing Northern Territory heat.
Madi Healey competing at the 2024 Finke Desert Race.
Healey won last year’s Queen of the Desert event with a time of 5.01:30.151; more than 21 minutes ahead of second place.
The reigning champion is keeping an open mind as to what can be achieved this year and, while Healey wants to be top dog again, she knows anything can happen on the course.
“Because the terrain changes so much, it goes from really deep sand and really rough terrain with really big dunes, then 100km down the track it goes to really hard soil which is rocky and square-edged kind of dirt,” she said.
“Track knowledge is the only way to know when and where you can push.
“That was a big thing I was lacking last year as I didn’t really get to pre-run at all; I only did the first 60km and then I did a little bit down the track.
“This year being able to have gone from Finke and back is going to help me out a lot more, so I am happy with that.”
Healey has been in scintillating form recently, winning the Oceania Cup for Australia alongside her four teammates, while she also currently leads the state titles championship.
The young gun said she hoped she could keep building towards a major event at the back end of the year.
“I have two nationals (coming up) and then I head to Darwin on the 19-20 September to race the world titles, so super excited for that,” she said.
“I’d like to thank all my sponsors and my family for helping out.”
The Goulburn Valley will have a second competitor racing at the Finke event.
Numurkah’s Ryan Cossens will compete in the bike category and will be hoping to better his 12th-placed finish in 2024.
