Year 11 Green student Riley Duncan recently returned from his first Finke Desert Race in Australia’s outback. The race is an elite motorsport event similar to the world famous Dakar Rally which is open to high performance off-road vehicles and a range of motor bikes. It takes place in some of the most spectacular desert country, from Alice Springs to the remote community of Apatula (also known as Finke) in South Australia. Sponsored by KTM, Riley entered a 500cc bike in the two-day event, each day consisting of a 230km stage.

As well as committing to his MLMC studies, Riley had been preparing for this race for many months, following a strict diet and training regimen. Regularly competing in similar events, Riley has honed his skills with the best of Australian motorsport. His trip to the Finke competition consisted of two weeks of travel, competition preparation and pre-runs, totalling approximately 2000km of high performance riding.

The race became a true test of character for Riley. On the first day a fellow competitor fell next to Riley and was run over by two vehicles. Stopping immediately to assist, Riley performed CPR on his fellow rider, keeping him alive until the air ambulance arrived and professional emergency workers took over. Riley re-entered the race, having lost a great deal of time and many positions, with the hope of regaining his placings with a strong performance and fast times on the second day. In tragic circumstances, this was not to be. A second accident which claimed the life of a spectator led to the second stage being cancelled and competition for 2021 being called off. As a result, Riley finished 162nd overall. He, however, will always have the knowledge that he made the right decision to stop and render assistance to another person in need.

I am sure that you join with me in admiration of the ability and character of students such as Riley as they conduct themselves so admirably in truly amazing pursuits. He has truly tasted victory in his service to others. Riley was back in class after a 12-hour drive from Alice Springs. He is now looking forward to his next motorsport adventure.