2024 Hattah Desert Race: Norton grabs final lap win at Aussie desert race

The 2024 Hattah Desert Race results – win for STE Racing’s Callum Norton taking a dramatic victory on the final lap from long-time leader Jack Simpson.

The legendary Hattah Desert Race lived up to expectations at the 2024 event with its usual mixture of raw speed and rough-as riding conditions across the four-hour main race.

The event starts with a prologue on Friday and it was Jack Simpson on the Yamaha Australia WR450F who posted the fastest prologue result ahead of Korey McMahon and Kiwi, Angus Riordan third. The prologue decides the start positions for the main race but as ever the top 10 go through to a shootout which Max Purvis claimed ahead of Simpson and Callum Norton.

Saturday’s main race day saw Purvis the early leader before Simpson took over and gapped Riordan and Norton as the laps ticked by.

But an extended final pitstop from the Yamaha crew as they fixed a mechanical issue on Simpson’s bike allowed second-placed Norton unknowingly inherit the lead as he headed out for the final lap, and go on to take a first Hattah Desert Race win.

Callum Norton: “It was a massive day and I’m stuffed! The boys pushed hard all day. I had a little drama early on and dropped a few places, but I thought, ‘this race is four hours long and you never know what can happen.’ I was really tired on the last lap and honestly thought I was still in second place until I got a pit-board saying P1, with about 10 minutes to go... I couldn’t believe it! It sucks to win when the guy ahead of you ran such a great race, you never want to win like that, but we’ve all had bad luck in racing, so I’ll take it. I’m stoked to get this first win – it’s been a long time coming.”

Gus Riordan made his trip back down under from American racing duties well-worth the trouble as he claimed second place for a KTM one-two with Simpson slotting in third to complete the podium. Max Purvis took fourth ahead of another former Hattah winner Daniel Milner.

Like all the best races, the Hattah has different classes and it was Sherco Australia’s Jonte Reynders keeping the crowds happy with the sound of his bike. Reynders finished over two minutes clear of Josh Harris in class.

In his first-ever Hattah, Tom Buxton punished his little SX-F to win the up-to-250 four-stroke category, finishing more than seven and a half minutes ahead of second place, also earning an impressive 25th outright.

Meanwhile Will Dennet won the under-19s. Todd Smith the Vets, Liam Dinnage the babay 2T class, Emma Milesevic put it to the enduro experts Danielle McDonald and Jessica Gardiner for her fourth win in the ‘Ladies’ class and James Graham grabbed the Masters, old guys category.

2024 Hattah Desert Race results (top 25):

Full results here

Photo Credit: KTM Australia + 94 Visuals