Motorex KTM Off Road Racing’s Ben Grabham has won his fourth Tattersall’s Finke Desert title today in the 36th running of the event in the Northern Territory.

Grabham rode to victory after suffering a broken hand in leg one of the event yesterday, admitting that the event was the toughest race win in his competition career.

In second place today was a Finke debutant and Grabham’s teammate Jarrod Bewley, followed by local Alice Springs rider Ryan Branford on a Husaberg.

Grabham’s winning time over the event was 3:58.59sec, quicker than the time of 4:03.25sec set by last year’s winner Toby Price, who this year succumbed to mechanical problems on day one.

After finishing the event Grabham said he made a mistake yesterday and missed a gear and went over the handle bars.

“I was worried about my bike and blocked the pain out on the way to Finke, but I woke up halfway through the night and my wrist had locked up and my fingers wouldn’t move,” the 29-year-old from Bathurst in NSW explained.

“Luckily it all freed up about half an hour before today’s start. It’s one of the hardest races I have ever won, but KTM had put in too much effort for me to give up.

“Not finishing last year was disappointing, but if I can I will keep coming back for another ten years.”

Second placed rider Bewley said there had been no team orders in the KTM camp and that he looked forward to returning to the event that he hadn’t entered previously on the basis that it ‘had scared him’.

Local hero Ryan Branford’s impressive Finke record continued with his third placing today.

Stay tuned for more to come on the event tomorrow.