Ducati DesertX protagonist with Antoine Meo in the Iron Road Prolog at the Erzbergrodeo

La Ducati DesertX triumphed among the twin-cylinder bikes at theIron Road Prolog in the context ofErzbergrodeo, one of the best-known extreme enduro challenges. Driving the vehicle is the multiple Enduro world champion and European Supercross champion, Antoine Meo.

The news

For the challenge ofErzbergrodeo, Ducati DesertX conducted by Meo was modified to further highlight its off-road capabilities. The fork and monoshock have been revised for greater travel, also adopting the skid plate and the Termignoni racing exhaust from the Ducati Performance catalogue. The bike was also equipped with Metzeler Six Days Extreme tires, designed for extreme enduro racing.
For the occasion, then, the Ducati Style Center he defined one special livery characterized by white, black and three red shades that recall sporting activity in the MotoGP and Superbike championships.   

 
Meo has been involved in the DesertX project since the beginning, becoming an ambassador and also participated in the Mitas Rocket Ride side race, taking fourth place overall and first among the twin-cylinder models.
277 riders took part in the Mitas Rocket Ride, a competition open to single-cylinder and twin-cylinder models, on a rather challenging and steep route. Two timed practice sessions are planned.

The 48 fastest riders could compete successively in heats of six, starting from a motocross style gate, with direct elimination of the last three. Antoine Meo already distinguished himself during the qualifications, finishing sixteenth out of 277. He subsequently achieved a second place in the round of XNUMX, a third place in the quarterfinals and a second place in the semi-finals. Results that allowed him to qualify for the Superfinal, the only one riding a twin-cylinder, reaching fourth place overall.

The Iron Road Prolog is a challenge that allows the over 1200 drivers registered for the "Rodeo" to qualify for the final phase. A challenge in two sessions along a climb with over 600 meters of altitude difference for 13,5 km, in which single-cylinder and twin-cylinder motorbikes are still involved. Over time it has become one of the most interesting races of the event. Meo and the DesertX won the Iron Road Prolog with a double success in the category dedicated to twin-cylinder models. In Friday's comparison the advantage over the first of the rivals was 12 seconds; however, in the second race on Saturday, on a track made demanding by the passage of the motorbikes, the margin increased to 20 seconds, further confirming the technical and sporting qualities of the twin-cylinder.

The motorcycle

La Ducati DesertX it is the first example in the history of the brand to be equipped with a 21-inch front wheel and an 18-inch rear wheel. A model designed for traveling and tackling challenging off-road routes.
The model is proposed in the liveries Matt Star White Silk e “RR22”, as well as in a weakened version from 35 kW for those who have an A2 driving licence.
The motorbike has a tank of over 21 liters and it is possible to adopt a second tank in the rear area, for a further 8 liters of capacity.

The frame is a steel trellis with long-travel suspension in triple tire approval which allows you to choose between proposals more oriented towards road driving and others towards off-road.
Various technical solutions including two Riding Modes designed for off-road driving and the desmodromic distribution engine is a heart Testastretta 11th of 937 cc, liquid cooled. The power reaches i 110 horses at 9.250 rpm and the torque peak is 92 Nm at 6.500 rpm.