The Finke Desert Race race takes in 226km each way of bone-jarring desert country starting and ending in Alice Springs.

It is an off road, multi terrain two-day race held each year on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. 

This will be the first time Mount Isa man Trent Love is competing in the race since breaking his back. 

Mr Love was confined to a wheelchair for six months, after he crashed during training for the 2009 event. 

“I am older and wiser now,” Mr Love said.

“I am not as gung ho as I used to be. I am more concerned about staying in one piece.”

Eleven people from Mount Isa will be competing on motorbikes, and one on a quad bike. 

“Most of us have been doing a bit of gym and a lot of bike work to prepare for the race,” Mr Love said. 

“We will be racing about 220km each day through some of the roughest terrain on earth.

“Being fit and strong is important when you are going 150km an hour, which is what most of us will be doing,” he said. 

“The leaders get up to 180km and hour.”

Mr Love said nobody from the north west is expecting to cross the line in first place. 

“Everyone does it because fastest most prestigious races in Australia and anyone can enter as long as you have the entry fee and a bike,” Mr Love said. 

“A few of our guys have a chance to run in top 50 which would be good seeing as there are 650 entering the race.

“Everyone else scattered throughout the field I think,” he said.

Mr Love said this year was “one of the biggest contingents” of north west riders heading to the Finke in recent years. 

Race president Antony Yoffa said bike entries for this year’s Finke were declared full within five hours of being open.

“While there’s always a lot of anticipation around how many you’ll get in the first few hours, to be full before 2pm was definitely a welcomed surprise” Mr Yoffa said.