Once again the Simpson Desert threw in a bag of tricks for the riders. A change from the normal race route has been necessary as the Warburton Crossing leading onto the Birdsville Track is impassable. Day three was diverted up the little used sand track, known as the K1 Line.
Good conditions were experienced for the first few hours of the stage. However, by around 10:00 am riders were pushing into a northerly headwind while slugging through soft sand. By 10:45 am, the wind blew up a massive dust storm that has continued through most of the day and evening.
Former Rugby League champion Billy Johnstone claimed he spent much of the day riding at 4kph - then realized he was better off walking at 5kph! Numerous "competitions" between riders are now occurring. Cousins Aaron Brandon from Elimbah NSW and Andrew Armstrong-Taylor from Riverton, WA are racing for their respective AFL Teams, ensuring the slowest of the pair have to wear an opposing clubs football colours.
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Keenleside (Aus) | 100 | Percent Completed |
| 2 | Lynton Stretton (Aus) | 94 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
| 3 | Jason Dreggs (Aus) | 88 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
| 4 | Andrew Jamieson (NZl) | 85 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
| 5 | Michael Dalton (Aus) | 84 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
| 6 | Ken Schack-Evans (Aus) | 83 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
| 7 | Jeff Rooney (Aus) | 83 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
| 8 | Rodney Edwards (Aus) | 76 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
| 9 | Roman Petr (Svk) | 76 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
| 10 | Kane Chandler (Aus) | 75 | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
| 11 | Kerry Richards (Aus) | 74 | Row 10 - Cell 3 |
| 12 | Al Descantes (Aus) | 71 | Row 11 - Cell 3 |
| 13 | Ben Turner (Aus) | 70 | Row 12 - Cell 3 |
| 14 | Katarina Cervikova (Svk) | 70 | Row 13 - Cell 3 |
| 15 | Billy Johnstone (Aus) | 70 | Row 14 - Cell 3 |
| 16 | Simon Holland (Aus) | 69 | Row 15 - Cell 3 |
| 17 | Mark McLaren (Aus) | 64 | Row 16 - Cell 3 |
| 18 | Leon Colbert (Aus) | 63 | Row 17 - Cell 3 |
| 19 | Freddy Moojen (Aus) | 59 | Row 18 - Cell 3 |
| 20 | Ole Kelderman (Aus) | 58 | Row 19 - Cell 3 |
| 21 | Rick Neale (Aus) | 58 | Row 20 - Cell 3 |
| 22 | David Schutz (Aus) | 55 | Row 21 - Cell 3 |
| 23 | Andrew Hellier (Aus) | 52 | Row 22 - Cell 3 |
| 24 | John White (NZl) | 48 | Row 23 - Cell 3 |
| 25 | Mike Brennan (Aus) | 48 | Row 24 - Cell 3 |
| 26 | Elisha Houghton (Aus) | 45 | Row 25 - Cell 3 |
| 27 | Aaron Branden (Aus) | 42 | Row 26 - Cell 3 |
| 28 | Chris Bain (Aus) | 42 | Row 27 - Cell 3 |
| 29 | Andrew Armstrong-Taylor (Aus) | 38 | Row 28 - Cell 3 |
| 30 | Wayne Chapman (Aus) | 26 | Row 29 - Cell 3 |
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