Arguably one of the most challenging motorcycling desert races in the country, the Hattah Desert Race attracts competitors from across Australia, all hoping to conquer the challenge and stand on those coveted podium steps. Every year, a strong contingent of South Australian talents makes the trip for the challenge, and 2024 was no exception, with over 108 riders stepping up to take it on. With a list of results ranging from outright victories and class wins to plenty of top-10 finishes, you could say SA well and truly brought the heat. With plenty of stories to go around from the 2024 Hattah journey, let’s take a look at just some of the moments from a packed weekend of action.
From the prologue, Emma Haylock had a strong start, taking the fastest time with a 1:14.452, ahead of Audrey Moller. But as anyone who has witnessed the spectacle of the Hattah knows, anything can happen in this marathon challenge. Fellow South Aussies Aimee Butler and Chloe Barton rounded out their prologue with 6th and 7th place finishes in the strong field of Australia’s fastest ladies.
From the get-go, Aimee Butler worked her way through the pack to take the lead over Emma Haylock. Demonstrating her prowess, Aimee put on a show at the front, holding off challenges from Haylock and a hard-charging field to finish with a total time of 2:42:16.839 and take the victory for the Tenacious Women of Hattah (4 laps), with Emma Haylock finishing just under 1 minute and 40 seconds behind, with a time of 2:43:19.337.
Daniel Allen proved that age is just a number, kicking off his Hattah journey with a second in his prologue, to then backing it up with a fantastic second place in the Veterans 35 to 44 years class with a time of 4:16:42.889, ahead of Victoria’s Damien Pendlebury.
Stepping up from last year’s podium in the 85CC 2-stroke and 150CC 4-stroke Small and Big Wheel 12 to Under 16 class, Harry Gilbertson came out the gate firing with a third-place finish in the Big Wheel class prologue to start his 2024 Hattah. Going from strength to strength, Gilbertson made his way through the top-end field competitions until finally overtaking the lead on the second-to-last lap. Putting down a cracking time of 1:36:08.876, he secured the Big Wheel outright victory and class win with a 15.525-second lead over Victoria’s Bjorn Cardenas.
Levi Rossi had an exceptional weekend, taking the win in the huge 85CC 2-stroke and 150CC 4-stroke, Small & Big Wheel – 12 to Under 16 class. Declan Smart narrowly missed landing on the third step of the podium by just 15 seconds.
Speaking of combined outright and class winners, Riley Mullen achieved his first outright and class win with an outstanding performance in the Small Wheel 85CC 2 Stroke and 150CC 4 Stroke 9 to Under 12 category, securing a lead of over 26 seconds.
Bodhi Austin had a commendable first outing at Hattah, narrowly finishing 4th in the 65CC – 9 to Under 13 prologue behind NSW’s Archie Black. However, he managed to push hard during the main event, gaining an edge over Black to secure the class bronze for 2024 with a total time of 1:12:41.181.
Joining Bodhi on the list of outstanding first-time achievers at Hattah, Asha Wilson held her own in the Girls Small Wheel 7 to Under 12 category, securing a well-earned third place. Already riding at such a high level, Asha is sure to be a driving force in our future Tenacious Women of Hattah South Australian stars.
Additional shoutout and well done to our top-10 class finishers: Max Midwinter achieved 6th place in the Under 19 category; Jayden Pilgrim secured 9th in the 251 – 450 4 Stroke class; Jordan Starick came in 4th and Hayden Cook 9th in the Up to 250 2-Stroke class; Chloe Barton earned 5th and Leticia Foster 9th in the Tenacious Women of Hattah – 4 Laps; Ollie Gear placed 6th and Jackson Rossi 8th in the 200CC – 250CC 4 Stroke, 13 to Under 16 category; Ollie Paech finished 8th in the 85CC 2 Stroke and 150CC 4 Stroke Small Wheel Only, 9 to Under 12 category; and Charlize Waldhuter achieved 7th in the Girls 12 to Under 16 category.
As the dust settles on the massive 2024 Penrite Hattah Desert Race, we want to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the South Australians who participated in this year’s challenge. Regardless of the outcome, you should all be proud of your efforts.
For a full breakdown of results head to the results page (HERE), or catch up on all the action through the live-streaming videos through the Hattah website (HERE).