Desmo for the Dakar: accessories specialist brings Ducati to the desert classic

Ducati has been part of the off-road motorbike manufacturer scene for less than three years. Following tentative forays with the Multistrada Rally and the DesertX – the provisional highlight in the road-legal sector – the Italians launched their own model range for off-road sport with the Desmo450 MX in early 2024.

The Bologna-based brand now competes in the Motocross World Championship (MXGP and MX2 classes), but the world’s best-known off-road sporting event still takes place without the long-established manufacturer from Borgo Panigale: the Dakar Rally. This will not change in 2027 either, at least not officially. However, under the leadership of Manuel Lucchese, accessories specialist Rebel X Sports intends to enter a modified Ducati Desmo450 EDS in the next edition of the desert classic. Tiziano Interno is set to ride the motorbike in the ‘Original’ category, i.e. without his own support team.

The designer, Lucchese, is himself an experienced motocross rider and has competed as a rider in five editions of the Dakar Rally to date. Rebel X, otherwise known for its accessory kits for various manufacturers, has developed a package for the competition tailored to desert use with the Desmo450, featuring a navigation tower, a fuel tank capacity increased to just under 34 litres and adapted electronics. This relies on engine management from GET and is designed to operate with mapping profiles specifically intended for rally use; a GPS-based speed limiter for the Dakar’s speed-restricted zones is also included, Brembo racing brakes and a titanium exhaust system from Akrapovic are also included in the package. Following its debut in competition, a limited edition of 35 units will be available to order for end customers.

A new design has been tailor-made for the Rally Ducati at considerable expense: to this end, Rebel X and Lucchese enlisted the services of the Turin-based design studio ‘Hyle Project’. The studio itself refers to it merely as a design concept. In fact, Ducati is not officially involved in the Dakar campaign or the development of the motorbike. A senior Ducati employee told SPEEDWEEK.com that Ducati is “zero point zero per cent involved in the project”. Whilst they had “already given thought to a motorcycle of this kind”, they were still considering many aspects. Participation in the Dakar Rally is also a question of capacity: “We’re involved in MotoGP, the World Superbike Championship, the World Supersport Championship, MXGP and MX2. That’s already a huge undertaking.”

Instead, Rebel X Sports will unofficially enter a Ducati in the race in January 2027. The Bologna-based manufacturer’s previous involvement in the off-road classic was limited to the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Cagiva won the desert rally in 1990. Back then, the ‘Elefant’ was powered by a V2 engine from Ducati. The Borgo Panigale-based brand was part of Cagiva at the time.