Ducati DesertX See’s Success At The Erzbergrodeo
The Ducati DesertX has achieved a spectacular victory in the twin-cylinder category of one of the most famous motorcycle enduro events in the world: the Erzbergrodeo. Ridden by Antoine Meo (multiple Enduro world champion), the DesetX took the win in the Erzberg Iron Road Prolog.
The Ducati DesertX has achieved a spectacular victory in the twin-cylinder category of one of the most famous motorcycle enduro events in the world: the Erzbergrodeo.
The Iron Road Prolog is the race used by the over 1200 riders entered in the “Rodeo” to qualify for the final event. Divided into two sessions, it is held on an ultra-fast climb (over 600 meters of gradient for 13.5 km) for single and twin-cylinder bikes and over the years it has become one of the most hard-fought and eagerly awaited races of the entire event. In the Iron Road Prolog, the dominance of Meo and the DesertX was overwhelming, with a double victory in the category reserved for twin cylinders.
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In Friday’s race, the advantage over his closest rival was no less than 12 seconds while in the second race, on Saturday, with a track made even more difficult by the passage of the bikes, the margin rose to 20 seconds, further confirming the potential of the Borgo Panigale twin.
In Friday’s race, the advantage over his closest rival was no less than 12 seconds while in the second race.
The Mitas Rocket Ride, a race open to single and twin-cylinder bikes, saw 277 riders challenge each other on a steep and rugged uphill course. The format of the race included two timed practice sessions from which the 48 fastest riders then went on to challenge each other in heats of 6 starting from the gate in motocross style and in a knock-out for the last 3. In this race Antoine Meo rode with determination right from the qualifying phase to finish sixteenth out of the 277 entrants. He then finished second in the last-16 round, third in the quarterfinals and second in the semifinals. These results allowed him to qualify for the Superfinal, the only rider to do so on a twin-cylinder, and there the French ace and the Ducati DesertX conquered a surprising fourth place overall.
To tackle the Erzbergrodeo, the DesertX ridden by Antoine Meo was modified to enhance its off-road aptitude. The fork and monoshock were revised to offer more suspension travel. As for the tyres, the choice fell upon the Metzeler Six Days Extreme, specifically designed for extreme enduro racing. The preparation of the DesertX was completed by mounting a Termignoni racing exhaust and a skid plate offered as original accessories from the Ducati Performance catalogue. To participate in the Erzberg, the Centro Stile Ducati designed a special livery for the DesertX that combines the white, the black and the three reds typical of the MotoGP and Superbikes.
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