Relentless racing and a cruel finish – Kamfari 2026 lived up to its legend
Australia’s muddiest enduro continues to attract new blood, with 2026 seeing an impressive 35 per cent of the field entered in the Rookie category.
Held on 3 May, this iconic race drew a huge crowd to witness one of the craziest races there is. A four-hour enduro through rocks, trees and, of course, the infamous spear grass flood plains.
A late finish to the wet season saw plenty of water on this year’s track and it didn’t take long for the mud and ruts to develop and catch out every rider at some stage during the race. As usual, the action started to unfold right in front of the main spectating area.
At the sound of the shotgun, riders started their bikes and ripped down the straight toward the first water crossing. Nathan Evans and Will Thurlbeck tapped ‘bars and while Evans continued, Thurlbeck was thrown to the ground. With nowhere to go, Nash White cartwheeled his Yamaha onto the stricken Husky, locking the two bikes together.
Thurlbeck remounted and set out on a mission, overtaking the majority of the field in the first 12km lap, coming in third behind Lleyton Mitchell and 2025 victor Daniel McInnes. However, it was McInnes – sporting the No.1 plate – who retired early in the race due to illness. That left the door open for Thurlbeck, Evans and four-time winner Chris Warwick to take turns swapping the lead.
As the race went on, the battle for the top three positions started to pan out. Mitchell kept it pinned on the long mud flats at the back of the course and was looking good for a win. Nathan Evans (aka Nifty) was keeping his fan base cheering with every lap and posted some great times on the Beta two-stroke. Meanwhile Warwick took a fall in the mud, damaging the start button on his Sherco. Fortunately, a back-up switch had been fitted and the bike fired back into life.
The mud and water caught out every rider at some stage. For Mitchell, it was on the penultimate lap when his Yamaha stalled in the deep water right at the end. At the four-hour mark, Evans headed out of the pits for one final lap, however the Beta had second thoughts and lost power. With only a few hundred metres left in the race, the Beta said no more and Evans was devastated. Warwick kept the Sherco going and was stoked to take home second outright in his 20th Kamfari. Rookie Sam Turnbull was the sleeper of the pack, quietly clocking up laps and crossed the line in third while Lleyton Mitchell grabbed the win and of course the legendary Buffalo Horns trophy.
In the Quad category (separate track), the winches and tow straps were necessary as the big four wheelers fought against the wet season conditions. Gary Burns finally secured his own set of buffalo horns, taking out the 2026 Kamfari, while Shane Munt finished second and Stephen Pilkington came home in third place.
