Moree's Jesse Moore and Warialda's Brett Carroll will once again return to conquer the beast, while 16-year-old Gerry Crowe will take on the challenge for the first time.

It's Australia's most gruelling off-road race in of the most remote parts of the country where riders race more than 550 kilometres across rough terrain in the Northern Territory.

Beginning in Alice Springs, competitors will race across the desert to the small Aboriginal community of Aputula (formerly called Finke) before camping the night and racing back to Alice Springs the next day.

A total of 646 riders will compete in this year's event, and both Carroll and Moore are hoping to continue their recent success in the event.

Carroll finished 14^th overall in last year's race and will return this year for the third time.

Moore is preparing for his fifth entry into event and is coming off a 29^th last year place finish despite dealing with a major injury.

"Last year I had a crash four days before the race," Moore said.

"I dislocated my shoulder. I made a mess of my shoulder. I still did the race and ended up 29^th.

"It was useless for the two or three months after, but you drive all that way you might as well do it."

At 16, Crowe is the youngest a rider can be to enter the race.

The Moree local who currently boards at the Scots School in Sydney has gone to watch and support Moore in the five years he has competed and ever since he saw the race for the first time he knew he wanted to give it a go.

Moore even said he'd build him a bike so he'd able to compete in the race.

"I can't wait. It's been a long lead up to racing and I just can't wait to start," Crowe said.

"I've been going out to Finke to watch Jesse. I know what I'm in for."

Both Caroll and Moore do crossfit on a regular basis and get on the bike as much as they can to prepare for the event, but with such a unique event as this it can be tough.

They've both regularly competed in motocross events, but they said there's nothing quite like the desert race.

"It's rough desert country. It's mostly just sand so it's pretty rough," Carroll said.

"It's nothing like back home. You can't really train for it back there."

"You get out there a week or two before the race and you just ride every day to get used to it, get your boyd used to spending two and a half hours on the bike" Moore added.

Crowe does as much riding as he can at the sandtrack near Boomi when he's on holidays and does as much fitness and strength work in the gym while he's at school.

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Before the race begins, all riders will take part in the Prologue - an 8km time trial - to determine their starting position.

Carroll and Moore both have an advantage, with the top 30 finishers from the previous years taking on the track on their own, compared to the rest of the riders who go three at a time.

Moore said the Prologue can be a big factor in determining the outcome of the main race.

"It's really important but I've never managed to do a decent prologue," he said.

"So every single year I start 70^th or 80^th place. The dust is crazy, it's just massive fog that you can't even see the guy in front of you.

"It (a good starting spot) makes it a lot easier because you can get with a guy that is fast and you can ride together and stay out of each other's dust. When you're constantly catching the slower guys it's hard work."

"It's a massive factor just because of how dusty it is," Carroll added.

"You just want to be up the front to start with, otherwise you're eating dust the whole way which puts you back a fair way."

As a first timer, Crowe has one goal in mind.

"Just to finish the race would be a massive feat in itself, especially doing it for the first time," Crowe said.

After coming close last year, Carroll is hoping for a top 10 finish this year, and while Moore said he'd be happy to finish the race for the fifth year in a row he's obviously aiming higher.

"To make the top 20 would be unreal," he said.

"It's definitely achievable, everything just has to line up."

"I'd like to add if it wasn't for the help from Stacey and Darren Hart this year I wouldn't have been able to attend the race."

Crowe also wanted to thank his parents for helping him get to Finke to participate in the race.

The Tatts Finke Desert Race is on June 7 to 10, with the Prologue on Friday, June 8, before the main race begins on Saturday, June 9.