Popular South Australian father and son pigeon racing duo Rick and Len Drew have entered the record books – winning the prestigeous Alice Springs to Adelaide marathon race for a second time

Their Blue Bar hen SA 22 6148 landed at 3.24PM ON Sunday, August 17th, having covered the 1297.4 kilometres in just over 20 hours.

The win complimented their 2022 Alice victory and put them in rare company with other elite flyers who have won the race atleast twice, including the legendary distance flyer John Pryor.

The Second placed bird in the 2024 Alice event is owned by another previous Alice Springs- to-Adelaide winning flyer, Nick Albanos, the training release driver for the South Australian Homing Pigeon Association

The winning margin was 23 mins 44 seconds, after adjustment for overfly

The Drews 2024 Alice winner was their clockbird from Yunta, and then raced Little Topar before going into the blue ribband Alice Springs race

Last year she was their second bird home from Byrock but was outside racetime, having had four races in her first season

The winner is a Dordin-Fin Fraser cross from a Port Augusta family of birds that the Drews purchased when they started back in the sport.

Her brother was placed third in a cockbird Special, and a sister was 20th SAHPA Cobar last year.

The Drews finished second in the South Australian Homing Pigeon Association Aggregate Points last year – beaten by just two points by Ian Durrant and Tony Cornish

The Drew’s recorded one of the biggest wins of their racing career in 2022 when they won Alice Springs – one of the ultimate challenges in Australian long distance racing. (Alice winner pictured)

They also won the 2022 Tasmania to Adelaide race, getting six birds home, and finishing half an hour in front of the second placed flyer – with only three lofts clocking birds

But 2023 was even more stellar for Len and Rick Drew, flying in partnership with Joe Halligan

They finished 5th Association in the Glendambo Young Bird Classic, 5th Association in the Little Topar Derby, 23rd Alice Springs, 25th Association Wirraminna Open, 12th Little Topar Open, 16th Association Maree Open, 16th Maree Sires Produce , 14th Association The Twins, 24th Association Marla, 1st Association Wilcannia 5-bird Special, 10th Association Wilcannia Open, 14th Associaiton Emmdale, 4th Association Coober Pedy, 5th Association Coober Pedy Cock Bird Special, and 6th Association Cobar (5 birds in the top 27)

Joe Halligan is a Melbourne truck driver, who has been racing a small team of birds from the Drew’s Loft.

The Drew’s have their own training and feeding regimes, and don’t put their birds on the SAHPA training unit.