DUCATI has released a special behind-the-scenes video charting Antonio Meo and his team as they prepare for and take part in the Erzbergrodeo Iron Road Prolog class on the Ducati DesertX.
The video shows Meo and his team shaking down the bike prior to taking part in the event, and it also gives us a chance to see the multiple Enduro world champion and European Supercross Champion seemingly having a play on the adventure bike away from the field of competition. To catch the rider and bike taking part in the action at the event, skip forward to around 10 minutes in and soak up the latest adventure bike from the Italian brand going toe-to-toe with a field of much more focused, lighter, and more developed standard enduro machines.
Antoine Meo & DesertX | Erzbergrodeo Behind the Scenes
This is an updated page originally published on 14/06/2023, the original article can be found below.
THE Ducati DesertX has taken a win in the hyper-competitive Erzbergrodeo Iron Road Prolog class. The rider, Antoine Meo, took the win on a bike that was only lightly modified over the stock machine.
One of the toughest and most competitive off-road enduro races on the planet has a new name in the record books after a Ducati DesertX adventure bike scooped a win in the Erzberg Iron Road Prolog.
Meo (a multiple Enduro world champion and European Supercross champion) took the win in a gruelling off-road hill climb event which saw the riders climb over 600 meters in around 13km. The class Meo raced in was open to both single and twin-cylinder machines, and he took the top spot by 20 seconds in the final of the two races.
The event also saw Meo and his team make it into the Superfinal of the Mitas Rocket Ride, the only rider on a twin-cylinder bike to do so. Here Meo not only made it into the last 46 (out of 277 riders), he then finished second in the last-16 round, third in the quarterfinals and second in the semifinals. These results opened the door for him to qualify for the Superfinal, the only rider to do so on a twin-cylinder, here Meo and the Ducati DesertX managed a surprising fourth place overall. An impressive feat considering the bulk of the field is made up of considerably lighter and more focused enduro machines.
Making the victory all the more impressive, the bike ridden by Meo in the event featured only light modifications to help it tackle the course. The suspension was modified to offer more travel, while it was shod with Metzeler Six Days Extreme hoops, a Termignoni exhaust and an engine sump protector - the latter two of which are both offered as accessories direct from Ducati.
