Ducati DesertX does the un-Finkeable

The Ducati DesertX amply proved it was up to the challenge of the Aussie Outback recently, when Ducati Australia’s DRE Adventure Academy Chief Riding Instructor, Nick Selleck, carved up the iconic Finke Desert Race course for a project dubbed Mission: Un-Finkeable.

What’s more, Selleck managed the 460km return trip, from Alice Springs to Finke and back, in just one day and without refueling (on a largely standard example of Ducati’s flagship adventure model, save for an accessory 8L auxiliary fuel tank, among a few other hand-picked factory accessories). The bike’s standard fuel tank has a 21L capacity.

Selleck completed the grueling run just two weeks after the 2023 Finke Desert Race was held in June, meaning he also had to contend with a heavily cut-up and rutted track. The race itself sees competitors head from Alice Springs to Finke on the first day of competition, before returning to Alice on the second.

All up, Selleck spent three days and over 1000km riding the Finke track, capturing photography and videography before mounting the epic there-and-back assault on the final day.

While other big-bore adventure bikes have previously tackled the Finke Desert Race, the feat was the perfect way to showcase the new DesertX’s off-road talents, with the whole adventure set to be retold in a full documentary to be released shortly.

For a taste of what that doco is all about, check out the YouTube trailer below…

“While none of us from Ducati Australia or our collegues in Italy had any doubt the DesertX could tackle Finke, the parameters we added to the challenge – riding there and back and with only the fuel the bike can carry – certainly had us all curious to see if man and machine could literally go the distance,” said Ducati Australia Head of Marketing, Alana Baratto.

“The extra challenge of riding the track just after hundreds of racers have torn it to shreds, ensured that Nick and the DesertX were not afforded the smoothest of rides.”

Selleck said it was an incredible test for both him and the DesertX.

“It was a big relief in so many ways to cross the finish line,” he said. “Not just because of the fact that we made the entire 460km distance using only the factory fuel tanks, but that the bike fared so well in such brutal terrain.

“In fact, I didn’t have to lay a spanner on the bike all week, except for making clicker adjustments to the standard suspension! That was astonishing to me and a testament to Ducati’s durability.

“I am so impressed with how comparatively easily we accomplished this, and I would like to have another crack at it with the goal of setting a good time. Who knows, maybe we’ll give the race a go next time!”

The full documentary will be released in August.