As you would expect, Australia has more than a few off-road races, and some of them like the Hattah are grueling enough. But there is nothing quite like the Finke. The Tatts Finke Desert Race is an off road, multi terrain two-day race for bikes, cars and buggies through desert country from Alice Springs to the small Aputula (Finke) community. The race is held each year on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June. “Finke” as it is commonly known, is one of the biggest annual sporting events in the Northern Territory and has the reputation of being one of the most difficult off-road courses in one of the most remote places in the world. Finke is unique and the most fun you can have with a helmet on, they say.

The race started in 1976 as a “there and back” challenge for a group of local riders to race from Alice Springs Inland Dragway to the Finke River and return. After the success of this initial ride, the Finke Desert Race has been held annually on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. The race is run along a winding corrugated track following sections of the old Central Australia Railway. It snakes through typical outback terrain of red dirt, sand, spinifex, mulga and desert oaks. The railway line was realigned and rebuilt in the early 1980s, with the old tracks being pulled up, but the race continues along its original course.

The official race doesn’t offer an adventure category for motorcycles. The bikes that do compete include Yamaha WR450Fs and YZ250Fs, KTM 500 EXCs and 450 SX-Fs, Husqvarna FE 350s and 450s, Sherco 500 SEF-Rs and the like. Despite that, Ducati Australia has long seen the Finke as the ultimate test of durability; and when Ducati Product Specialist and adventure rider, Nick Selleck, confessed to having the Finke track on his riding bucket list, a plan was hatched and Mission: UnFinkeable was born.

The idea was that a factory standard Ducati DesertX with Nick Selleck aboard would complete the track from Alice Springs to Finke and back, but do it in one day while Finke competitors take two. What’s more, he would do the 460-km return-adventure on one tank of fuel with a factory eight-liter auxiliary tank. The extra challenge of riding the track just two weeks after hundreds of racers have torn it to shreds, ensured that Nick and the DesertX were not afforded the smoothest of rides. While the track would be at its roughest, it would also be relatively clear of traffic. Needless to say Nick and the DesertX aced it.

“It’s quite rare to be able to challenge both man and machine in this way, and the support and enthusiasm the project has received has been incredible,” Nick says. “It was a big relief in so many ways to cross the finish line. 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.”

“作为世界上最具标志性的沙漠种族的d widely regarded as the world’s fastest,” Ducati Australia Head of Marketing, Alana Baratto says, “the Tatts Finke Desert Race is revered and feared in equal measure; thanks to its reputation for pushing athletes and their machines to breaking point each year in the most remote of areas… the Finke Desert Race track could have been pulled straight from a Mad Max movie – all red desert, sand and rocky verges. The track is littered with the skeletons of broken machines and racers’ dreams: snaking between places of natural beauty and stark brutality.”

Ms Baratto noted that aside from a small number of Nick’s hand-picked genuine Ducati Accessories, which included the rear auxiliary fuel tank, the bike tackled Finke in standard specification, with its standard factory suspension set-up. ”Ducati’s DesertX is built to tackle the world’s toughest terrains, she says. “As the first modern Ducati with a 21-inch front wheel and an 18-inch rear, the DesertX offers long travel suspension and a new frame designed specifically for off-roading. Powered by a lighter, evolved version of the well-established 937cc Testastretta engine, the DesertX packs a one-two punch of blistering performance (110 hp/92 Nm) and excellent fuel efficiency, making the most of its six unique driving modes – two of which have been specifically programmed for off-road use. The additional 8-litre auxiliary fuel tank, a genuine factory option, maximises the DesertX’s endurance capabilities with up to a 40 per cent range increase.”

Ducati Australia will release the trailer to the Mission: Un-Finkeable documentary shortly, followed by the full documentary in August. The film will provide a glimpse into Nick’s journey with the DesertX, and showcasing the beauty and ferocity of the region and the iconic desert race. You should be able to find a trailer on the web.