The race, which takes place on a track between Alice Springs and the remote community of Aputula in the Northern Territory, runs each year over the Queen's Birthday long weekend.

The decision for Taylor and a friend to compete in the famous event was made earlier this year.

"We went up there in January to do a little local race, and we went for a bit of a spin down the Finke track and my mate and I both said 'right oh, we're gonna do this race'," Taylor said.

"It's always been a race I've wanted to do, it's just been a matter of getting to everything together to do it."

"It's the first time I've ever done it, but it was a good experience,"

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A test of endurance and temprament, competitors in the off-road, multi-terrain two-day race may use motorbikes, cars, buggies and quad bikes.

"There's a lot that goes into it that I don't think everybody realises," Taylor said.

"I actually did a pre-run trip up there at the end of March, just to run the track and get a bit of track knowledge.

"It's 225km long, we did that to try to get a bit of an eye in for it and then the week before we went up to Alice Springs and and did another pre-run."

"Other than that, you've just got to keep your bike all set up for it."

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Over five hundred participants lined up at the starting line to compete in the Finke Desert Race, with Taylor coming 28^th outright in a remarkable debut performance.

Taylor credits this preparation with his excellent finish.

"It's just a bit of a feat to finish it really, a lot of people go up there just to get it finished but we put in a bit of extra prep and tried to go up the pointy end a bit more," Taylor said.

Motorbike racing has been a lifelong passion for the Nhill-native.

"I've raced bikes forever really, I started riding when I was five and started racing when I was about thirteen or fourteen," Taylor said.

Despite his experience racing, Taylor said he still felt the pinch ahead of the Finke Desert Race.

Sweeping safety standards were introduced in 2022, following a crash in 2021 that left one man dead and injured two others.

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"I was nervous as well, it's definitely good to get it finished," Taylor said.

"But nerves are just part of it, I think everyone was feeling pretty much the same."

The trick is to clear one's mind and focus on driving, the racer said.

"There's normally a few accidents... I don't how you really prepare for it; we tried to do a heap of fast riding around home, just to try to get our eye in and get used to going so quick.

"When you're up there you've just got to throw your brain out the window a bit and try to forget about how dangerous it is.

"You'd never get to the other end real quick if you thought about it too much.

"It wasn't too scary while we were racing, but when we got to the end we said 'hell, that was a bit scary... I'm glad that's over'."

Taylor said he hasn't decided whether to compete in the race's next edition.

"I'd love to do it again, but I don't know if I want to put myself through it again. I'll have to decide later on down the track."

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