Records were broken in the car and bike categories of the iconic Finke Desert Race in Central Australia, held over the long weekend.
The Finke Desert Race is a two-day annual event which sees hundreds of bikes and cars race from Alice Springs to the remote community Apatula (Finke) and back, on what is billed as the most challenging off-road course in the country.
International motorsport champion Toby Price claimed his eighth King of the Desert title, setting a new record for fastest time on four wheels in the two-day event.
Price, alongside navigator Jason Duncan, completed the race with an overall time of three hours, 21 minutes and 46 seconds.
Price has previously conquered the race — billed as the most challenging off-road event in Australia — six times on a bike and one other time in a truck.
"If you'd [told] me back in 2010 that I would have won this event eight times [by now], I would have probably laughed at everyone," Price said.
"It's crazy. To get that second win in the truck now and actually have everybody here at the event and at the race, it actually does mean something and does count and we're stoked with that."
The pair competed together in 2018 and 2019 but did not finish the race.
"Third time's a charm. Here we are, we had some fun and no issues," Duncan said.
Solo competitor Aaron James came in second, followed by Brent Martin and Ben Dawson in third.
Third consecutive win on two wheels
Alice Springs rider David Walsh also made record time, winning his third King of the Desert title in the bike category with an overall race time of three hours, 35 minutes and 45 seconds.
Walsh beat the bike race record set by Toby Price in 2016 by 11 minutes.
'It feels amazing just to be at the front like this. It's an honour for me," he said.
"It's not something I thought I'd ever do watching it as a kid. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunities this race has given me."
New South Wales rider Jacob Smith took second place on the podium in his 13th Finke race, with West Australian Jack Simpson, just 43 seconds behind, coming in third.
Competitors praise new safety rules
Spectators were directed to stand at least 20 metres back from the track this year in response to a fatal crash during last year's race when a vehicle veered off the track and into a group of onlookers, killing 60-year-old Nigel Harris.
Race organisers warned the event would not continue beyond 2022 if there was another serious accident involving a spectator.
"Spectators have done a fantastic job adhering to the conditions," second-place car winner Aaron James said.
"The race committee have done a fantastic job at addressing the issue and as a racer it's fantastic to be able to race hard without any concern."
Walsh and Price both commented that the new rules gave them peace of mind while racing.
Young girl injured near race track
St John's Director of Ambulance Services Andrew Thomas said the number of injuries during the event was down on previous years, and congratulated race organisers for enforcing new safety standards.
"Unfortunately there are going to be some people that flout the rules at times which is disappointing, cause those measures are there for their safety as well as the safety of the competitors," he said.
Mr Thomas said St John's Ambulance staff treated about 30 people during the event.
He said none of the competitors had serious head, neck or back injuries.
"Most of the injuries were limb injuries and unfortunately a couple of fractures," he said.
Close to 60 St John's Ambulance staff were on hand at the start and finish lines, along the length of the track, and in helicopters during the weekend.
Unrelated to the race, a nine-year-old girl received serious injuries when she was hit by a car driving on a track near where the event was taking place on Sunday afternoon.
Mr Thomas said the girl had suffered injuries to her head and pelvis, and a fractured femur.
She was transported to Alice Springs Hospital where she was in a stable condition in ICU on Tuesday.
Northern Territory police said the driver, a 32 year old man, was not a competitor in the Finke Desert Race and was assisting police with inquiries.
On Saturday morning, one man was flown to hospital in Adelaide in a critical condition and another left with a serious jaw injury following a head-on collision between the two motorbike riders who were not involved in the Finke Desert Race.
The crash happened off the Maryvale Road, near Finke.
