With the devastating June 5 announcement that the Northern Territory had declared Victoria a COVID-19 hotspot, the annual off-road race looked set to be inaccessible to riders from the area.
However, an eleventh-hour adjudication by the NT government to relax border restrictions meant regional Victorians could cross with an acquired permit.
For Craig, his wife Marcia and several other local riders, the mad dash to Alice Springs was on.
After four career starts at Finke previously, Craig had all but given up on his dream of a fifth.
“I stopped preparations (for the race),” he said.
“I took on other things - the caravan was still sitting in the driveway because I thought there’s no end in sight for these restrictions.”
Craig said he was on the night shift at work when restrictions were eased, albeit with certain caveats.
“Virtually on the final hour Northern Territory said we could get in,” Craig said.“We had to get permits to travel through South Australia and we could only stop for fuel and food.
“Marcia applied for the permits to travel but we left here not having approval. There was a fair chance if we got to the border that we might be turned around.”
Thankfully, Craig and Marcia were allowed entry into both states and after several pre-race events, Craig set off on his Yamaha YFZ450 in the quad bike class.
Racing from Alice Springs to Finke (Aputula) and back, the 458-kilometre event is a gruelling cross-country dash, with vehicle classes ranging from buggies to bikes, all traversing hazardous terrain with low visibility.
Craig defied a flat tyre and fuel issues to post an impressive time of two hours, 51 minutes to lead his class after stage one.
This was as far as he, or any other rider, would progress at Finke 2021 following the death of a spectator in his 60s in an incident with a trophy truck.
“We were up at Finke end - 225km from Alice Springs - when the race steward made the announcement,” Craig said.
“He said that a tragic accident had happened with a spectator.
“Straight away when you think a car has lost control and gone through multiple camps. The first thought that comes into your head is young kids and families.
“It was just a heart in your mouth feeling. The race steward was having a lot of trouble making that announcement.”
The incident was a hammer blow to a tight-knit community and ultimately led to the cancellation of the event - the first instance this has occurred at the Finke Desert Race.
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