FINKE: Quick Guide to Organizing Fuel Stops
Organizing fuel stops for Finke can be quiet a overwhelming task, here is a simple guide to point you in the right direction and get you to the finish line
We will split this into two categories, each have their pros and cons but read through and choose what will work best for you.
How much fuel do I need?
firstly, find out how big your fuel tank is and how far you can go in a single tank (remember that Finke is mostly desert sand so you won’t go as far as you would if it was hard pack)
one more thing to note, every 10km along the track there is a car bonnet to tell you how far along the track you are, this helps with finding fuel stops (on day two racing from Finke back to Alice the bonnets will count down instead of up)
*rules state your bike must be shut off while refueling however you are allowed to stay seated on the bike
Organizing your own
This can be a little tricky to organize, most people that run their own fuel stops only have 2, first one being 70-85km from the start line (Alice), the second being 155-175km from the start (Alice) and use long range fuel tanks
You’ll also need someone to take your fuel and camp in the desert along the track, the people you organize will fuel up your bike so make sure they know what they’re doing and have a fire extinguisher nearby!
how much fuel you need? if you have a tank 11-20L its easiest to use 20L fuel Jerrys and each stop will need enough fuel for both days of racing.
to make it simple let’s say you have a 15L tank on your bike, you’ll need a 20L jerry at the start line, 2x20L Jerrys at the first stop, another 2x20L Jerrys at the second stop and one more 20L jerry at the Finke end.
It’s a lot more fun than it sounds to be at a fuel stop, you get woken up at 8am to the sound of helicopters chasing million-dollar trophy trucks hundreds of competitors to follow, camping with thousands of other people and the next morning you get the same wake up call
Official event refuelling (CLUB FUEL)
If you prefer, the Finke organization offer a fuel service and its much easier to organize and you might not need a long-range tank. They can also take a small spares box to each stop if you pay for gear transport (and we really mean a small box), something like spare levers, tire repair kit, clean goggles and maybe some lollies.
It only cost $250, fuel is provided and is 3 stops (68km, 120km, 172km. they will refill your tank before the start of day 2)
If you have a 2-stroke, they require you to supply your own fuel and for only $60 they will take it to the designated fuel stops
club fuel stops are all on the right on the way to Finke and on the left on the way back to Alice
more information regarding ‘Official event refueling’ can be found in the ‘Supplementary Regulations’ listed on https://finkedesertrace.com.au/competitors/bikes
