Lithgow's Adam Doonan headed to Alice Springs to compete in the 452 kilometre, off-road, multi-terrain Finke Desert Race over the Queen's Birthday long weekend.

He was one of 650 motorbike riders who entered the event and was among the 488 who finished.

The race led him through desert country across the Finke River believed to be the oldest river in the world, to the small Aputala community.

Doonan qualified 47^th outright for the start of the race, he averaged speeds of 100km/h and climbed his way up to 28^th on day one, down to Finke from Alice Springs which was 226km one way.

Making his way back on day two, Doonan finished the race in 21^st outright of 650 competitors, a teasing result as he only just missed out on a spot in the top 20.

"I also placed 12^th in my 500cc class, I only had four days of practice out on the track, although I'm a little disappointed I didn't come home with a top 20 plate I'm very happy to have finished this year as this race hasn't been kind to me in the past," he said.

Doonan had his first Finke debut back in 2012 and said he has had some pretty rough times in the desert over the years.

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"I've had some bad luck out there in the desert, having two races I didn't finish and four finishes consisting of flat tyres, parts falling off my bikes and crashes," he said.

Despite his teasing result, Doonan said he was hopeful for a better result next year with more sponsors.

"I had more than 12 riders in front of me riding for big financial backed teams which meant they had unlimited practice time on the track during the year.

"I funded my own race team this year with a limited budget but I am hopeful to get some more support next year," he said.

He said this year's result would not have been possible without the help of his sponsors and he couldn't thank them enough for getting behind him.

"A special thanks to the local businesses that went out their way to help me, and to my family and friends that have supported me in doing what I love," he said.

Doonan's next race on the calendar will be the Hattah Desert Race on the first weekend in July in Mildura, Victoria.

He will then compete in the Yellow Mountain Cross Country on the first week in August at Condoblin.

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