After the dreaded lurgy foiled his Finke campaign, Callum Norton is fighting fit to defend his title in Australia’s craziest desert enduro
Before we talk Hattah, which kicks off on 13 July, let’s review Finke. You won the prologue only to be brought undone by a virus that was doing the rounds.
It all went downhill after the prologue. I felt something coming on, but I thought it was just a sore throat from talking to race fans at Friday night’s Show and Shine. Race morning I woke up weak and sick with horrible migraines and realised I was in for a tough day. I got a great start but immediately knew I was off my practice pace.
I could hardly hold my eyes open and was riding on instinct, although I held the lead to 160km. Eventual winner Corey Hammond was right on my arse but I had no choice other than to back down before I crashed, and I lost 10 minutes in the final 70km. It was either that or just stop and walk away.
Your STE teammate, David Walsh, had already surprised everyone by announcing his retirement. Then your other teammate, Liam Walsh, became a non-starter due to a bone-breaking crash pre-running the course. Now here you were, stuck in Apatula, crook as Rookwood.
The team tried everything to get the right things into me and I remained hopeful that night, though by the time I crawled out of my swag I was feeling worse. The disappointment continued when I got home and passed the virus on to my girlfriend Jordan, who was in the final stage of training for her Ironwoman event in Cairns; I was definitely not man of the hour.
Both Finke and Hattah run about four hours, though Finke has an average of more than 120km/h and at Hattah the average is barely 80km/h. It seems clear which event poses the greater risks, but which is more demanding?
Finke is mentally tough. The concentration required at those speeds is insane. To spectators it looks like a wide track but for 200km, the race line is about 300mm wide. At 170km/h if you get off that line you lose time you’ll never recover. Or crash. Finke is brutal and you can never switch off.
Most competitors consider Hattah more physical than Finke. No disagreement from me; however, it’s mentally tough to ride full-gas for four hours. With an hour to go, you just want to settle for where you are, but you need to keep pushing right to the end. As soon as you give up on the track, it will eat you alive.
The KTM 500 EXC-F is the most favoured weapon for both events. What changes do you make to the bike to suit the terrain?
The engine package stays the same but the gearing changes as we don’t need as much top speed for Hattah, which is more about having smooth mid-range power, making it more comfortable to ride for four hours. We use a mousse front and rear at Hattah, but front only at Finke because of the high speeds. Everything else – suspension settings, steering damping etc – is adjusted to suit the track.
From pole position at Finke it’s possible the leader may never encounter another competitor on track. Pole position at Hattah means the lead rider will be the first to encounter the backmarkers over the eight laps; 400 riders on a 40km track for four hours seems more like a long-distance motocross.
Hattah is a race in which, even if you don’t qualify well, you can still put yourself in a winning position over four hours. Lapped riders come into play on the second lap and it can be frustrating to navigate around them in some sections; you just need to be patient. Without such a huge entry, Hattah wouldn’t be such a great event.
With your 2024 win and several top finishes you must be on top of the fuel strategy?
I’ve always preferred a 12-litre tank, so I refuel every lap. Though, from mid-race on, I can push for two laps because the bike uses less fuel as the track becomes more compacted. I’ve never liked the bulk of a massive fuel tank around such a demanding track.
Every year at Finke you can usually count the number of potential winners on one hand. Hattah always seems such an open race.
Riders from all disciplines come to race Hattah. Everyone who finished top-10 in 2024 will be competitive again. Angus Riordan and Sam Pretscherer are coming back home from the US in great form. Jack Simpson is always a threat whatever he rides. Daniel Milner and his KTM team are dominating the 2025 Pro Enduro and Jye Dickson just gave Beta its first AORC win. Kiwi Max Purvis, who led the race for a while last year, is one of the fastest sand riders I’ve ever encountered. And, of course, Corey Hammond wants to take the Finke/Hattah double.
I’m over the virus, the fittest I’ve ever been, and all set to become the first back-to-back winner since Daniel Milner in 2021.
