Backing the Riders Who Show Up: RYGG x Grabbo’s Trail & Track for the 2026 Desert Racing Season

By Dr Steve Andrews

Founder, RYGG

Orthopaedic Upper Limb Surgeon

MBBS, FRACS, FAOrthA, MCIME

RYGG is proud to announce our 2026 partnership with Grabbo’s Trail & Track VIP Race Experience, run by Australian off-road racer and coach Ben “Grabbo” Grabham. The collaboration brings performance and recovery into one of Australia’s most physically demanding motorsport environments, across five major desert racing events throughout the season.

Ben Grabham is one of the most recognised names in Australian off-road racing. Through Grabbo’s Trail & Track, he runs coaching, bike setup, and VIP race experiences for riders ranging from first-timers chasing their first Finke to seasoned competitors preparing for a podium.

Desert racing is exactly the kind of environment RYGG was built around. Heat. Distance. Multi-day stages. Riders who need their bodies to back up day after day in some of the toughest terrain in the country.

Throughout 2026, RYGG will work alongside Grabbo and his team at five major desert racing events:

• Finke Desert Race, Alice Springs, NT
• Hattah Desert Race, Mildura, VIC
• Yellow Mountain Cross Country, NSW
• Don River Dash, Bowen, QLD
• Kalgoorlie Desert Race, WA

That schedule covers most of the country and the full range of Australian desert terrain, from sand to hardpack, from creek beds to wide-open compass-line racing.

The Finke Desert Race sits at the centre of the season. One of Australia’s most recognised off-road endurance events, Finke celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026.

It is an event the entire Australian off-road community plans the year around. Hundreds of riders and vehicles line up. Scrutineering nights pack out. Spectator numbers grow every season. The desert conditions, the heat, the dust, the distance, push competitors to their limits.

Finke is the kind of stage where preparation, endurance and recovery become inseparable from performance. Riders are not just managing speed and lines. They are managing their bodies across multiple days of competition in genuinely punishing conditions.

Desert racing places continuous strain on the body. Heat. Impact. Vibration. Fatigue. Long hours on the bike across rough terrain. The physical demands stack up across a multi-day event in ways most weekend riders never experience.

Preparation before a stage is not optional. It is the difference between starting strong and starting stiff. The same applies to the post-stage window. Riders who recover well are the riders who back up day after day. Riders who do not, fade.

That is the rhythm Rygg HEATE and Rygg KHULE were built into. Warm up before. Cool down after. Two products, two clear moments, integrated naturally into the routines riders are already building around a race week.

Both Rygg HEATE and Rygg KHULE are Australian-made, TGA-listed external analgesic medicines, manufactured under GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) quality systems. The base formulas are fast-absorbing, quick-drying, non-greasy, and described as hypoallergenic and suitable for all skin types when used as directed.

Rygg HEATE is a warming thermo-performance cream. It is positioned for pre-activity preparation and is formulated to improve muscle performance, endurance and stamina, and to help reduce mild joint aches and pains when used as directed.

Rygg KHULE is a cooling cryo-active recovery gel. It is positioned for post-activity routines and is formulated to assist post-exercise recovery, help reduce mild joint inflammation and swelling, and help reduce symptoms of muscle sprain and strain when used as directed.

Every batch is Informed Sport certified, independently screened for substances banned in sport. For riders who race in tested environments, or who simply want to know exactly what is going on their skin, that certification supports peace of mind when products are used as directed.

The fast-drying, non-greasy base matters in desert racing for the same reason it matters in any high-output environment. Riders are pulling on gloves, gripping bars, sweating through gear, and dealing with dust on every surface. A heavy or oily muscle pain relief product does not survive that.

Through Grabbo’s Trail & Track VIP Race Experience, riders and guests are immersed directly into the atmosphere of desert racing. From the race compound and bike setup through scrutineering night, race preparation, recovery, and post-event wrap-ups, the experience gives riders and supporters a first-hand look at the physical and mental demands of off-road endurance racing.

Throughout the season, Rygg HEATE and Rygg KHULE will be integrated naturally into the rider environment, with products used by riders before and after racing as part of their preparation and recovery routines.

Across the 2026 season, the RYGG and Grabbo’s Trail & Track collaboration includes:

• VIP rider gift packs across the race season.
• Product integration throughout race events.
• Branded presence and event activations at race compounds.
• Product placement throughout scrutineering and race compounds.
• Social media collaborations and shared content.
• Rider experience and testimonial content captured across the season.
• Videography and photography across all five major events.
• Community giveaways and promotional campaigns.
• Real-world rider usage across endurance racing environments.

Scrutineering night will play a major role throughout the campaign. It is one of the most active and energised moments in the desert racing calendar. Riders, support crews, families, spectators and the wider motorsport community all converge in a single space.

RYGG will be integrated into that atmosphere through rider interaction, branded setups, community engagement, and product visibility amongst competitors and spectators. With thousands of people moving through the event environment, scrutineering night is an opportunity to put RYGG in front of one of the country’s most engaged endurance and motorsport audiences.

Throughout the 2026 season, RYGG and Grabbo’s Trail & Track will showcase the culture of Australian desert racing, while highlighting the importance of preparation, endurance, recovery and performance within high-intensity motorsport environments.

To Ben and the Grabbo’s Trail & Track team: welcome to RYGG. The whole team is looking forward to a big year on the bikes, in the dust, and across some of the most demanding terrain in Australia.

Let’s get into it.

RYGG is an Australian surgeon-founded topical analgesic brand. Our two hero products, Rygg HEATE and Rygg KHULE, are TGA-listed, manufactured in Australia under GMP quality systems, and Informed Sport certified with every batch independently tested. Learn more at RYGG.au.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Product use in Australia should follow local labelling and TGA guidance.