The “Iron Road” prologue to the Iron Giant race at Erzberg saw an unlikely win for Ducati! While the Desmosedici GP and Pecco Bagnaia were dominating the MotoGP Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, another Ducati was tackling the grueling course of the Austrian iron ore quarry event. The DesertX ridden by Antoine Meo (multiple Enduro world champion and European Supercross champion) took the win in the Erzberg Iron Road Prolog. Meo, who has embraced the DesertX project right from the start, also took part in the Mitas Rocket Ride side race, finishing fourth overall and first in the twin-cylinder category.
The Iron Road Prolog has 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. In Friday's race, Meo gapped the field by no less than 12 seconds! In the second race on Saturday, with a track made even more difficult by the passage of the bikes, Meo and the DesertX dominated with a 20-second margin, further confirming the potential of the big Twin from Borgo Panigale.
Meanwhile it was even more Meo during the Mitas Rocket Ride, a race open to single and twin-cylinder bikes, which 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 16th 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 4th 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.