Family, Legends & Fierce Racing: Grabbo’s VIP Race Experience Team Gets on the Gas at Finke 2025!

Grabbo’s GASGAS VIP Race Experience returned to the red centre for a third year, turning up the heat at the 2025 Finke Desert Race — powered by Grabbo’s Trail and Track and GASGAS, and packed with riders ready to send it!

With 14 fearless riders signing up under the legendary Ben Grabham, this year’s Grabbo’s GASGAS VIP Race Experience team was all about family, mateship, and motorsport bloodlines. From sibling showdowns to King of the Desert legend returns, this year’s team was as stacked with talent as it was with grit.

Battle of the brothers: Condon vs. Condon

The rural NSW brothers Chris and Tom Condon left it all out on the track, both racing GASGAS EC500Fs. In a nail-biting sibling showdown, it was big bro Chris who came out on top — 46th outright, 18th in class — narrowly beating Tom, who finished 48th outright and 19th in the same 251cc to 460cc four-stroke class. Bragging rights secured… for now!

History Made: Youngest Female Racer Joins the VIP Line-Up

Sixteen-year-old Chloe Russell from Queensland made waves as possibly the youngest female to ever race Finke – and she didn’t just finish, she flew! Racing alongside her dad Russell Fabbro on the EC350F, Chloe claimed an incredible 11th place in the Women’s Class, proving the future of women’s desert racing is red-hot.

“Watching the Women’s Class grow stronger each year is something special,” said Ben Grabham. “We had three of the 17 female riders on the VIP team, all with impressive results — Kristie McKinnon (10th), Chloe (11th), and Melanie Patroni (15th).”

King of the Desert Legend Returns: Rick Hall Is Back!

Finke legend and two-time King of the Desert, Rick Hall, dusted off his boots for this year’s event as part of the VIP Team. It was great to see Rick back out there and enjoying every moment spent on and off the track throughout the weekend. Rick raced to 76th outright and 5th in the Seniors (45–54yrs) class.

Overall, this year's Finke desert race was another very successful event for Grabbo’s VIP Race experience customers. ‘In the lead up to the race I knew that from my time on the Finke track earlier in the year and the rain we had the week before the race, that it was going to be a very rough and challenging race track for everyone,’ says Grabbo.

‘In saying that, all 14 of our customers rode like seasoned desert racers and made it to Finke and back with no troubles at all. Matter of fact every one of them made it "back" in quicker times than on race day 1. This alone was very rewarding for me. I have managed past winners of this race which was cool, but there’s something special about being a part of our customers' journey when they are racing Finke. This race is typically a bucket list item and to be able to assist them with ticking off this milestone is very rewarding.’

‘A massive thank you goes to our Grabbo’s Trail and Track crew including Mat, Amelia and Billy. A little over a month before Finke I had a severe crash which earned me a trip to ICU with some emergency repairs carried out, including the removal of a large section of small intestine. During my recovery and the weeks leading into the race I was very steady, while they stepped up and kept everything running perfectly.’

The Power of GASGAS

Grabbo gave full props to the GASGAS EC range: ‘This is our second year running the GASGAS EC range and just like last year all our bikes ran flawlessly the whole race, which shows how strong both the bikes themselves are as well as the products that we choose to run on them.’

Massive Effort, Huge Results

Completing Finke is no small feat — the terrain is brutal, the pace and whoops relentless. But every one of Grabbo’s riders gave it everything.

Here’s a snapshot of the VIP team results across classes:

35–44yrs Open cc

• Jochim Jager — P62 & 5th in class

251cc to 460cc four-stroke

• Jake Fishpool — P90 & 21st in class

Masters 35–44yrs

• Nathan Anstiss — P127 & 12th in class
• Mark Nolan — P147 & 16th in class
• Justin McKinnon — P205 & 28th in class
• Andy Axon — P207 & 29th in class
• Rhett Johnston — P234 & 34th in class
• Russell Fabbro — P306 & 42nd in class

Want to GET ON THE GAS with Grabbo’s VIP in 2025/2026?

Spots are now open for Grabbo’s VIP Race Experience:

• Yellow Mountain Cross Country, NSW – 2–3 August
• Don River Dash, QLD – 5–7 September
• Kalgoorlie Desert Race, WA – 24–26 October
• Finke Desert Race 2026 – Bookings OPEN NOW!

Request a VIP Pack: grabbostrailandtrack.com.