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We gave you a little preview yesterday: Michele Pirro is, in fact, spending his Christmas holiday in Dubai where he got the chance to test the Ducati DesertX in the desert for the first time. We talked about this and much more with the tester from Puglia in the following interview.
“Last year, after Paola and I got married, I came here to Dubai to have fun and train with the bike in the desert,” Michele recalled. “It’s all thanks to Nemo Scaglia who, along with the guys at Garage51 Middle East, offer this opportunity to all enthusiasts, or allow them to explore the desert on two wheels. It’s a different two-wheel adventure than usual. Exciting and hard to describe.”
The leap from the track is certainly incomparable.
“There’s a huge difference in that. When you’re in the desert with the bike, you feel a unique sense of freedom, difficult to describe in words. Here, in Dubai, I then tried the DesertX for the first time, and it was fantastic. Who knows if, in the future, I’ll be able to do a Dakar with Ducati.”
It would be a dream, even if the current regulation doesn’t allow it.
“Of course! Obviously, it’s the constructor’s choice then, even if the idea of the DesertX wasn’t haphazard. If Ducati decides to race in it, that could be my last big challenge. I’d like to because it would be a unique opportunity, but there are many aspects to consider. The bike, first of all. In fact, we should develop a reliable bike ready for a challenge of this kind, capable of adapting to any condition, especially compared to other constructors, such as Honda and KTM, which have a lot of experience at the Raid.”
What will Pirro have to do instead?
“Before racing a Dakar, I’d like to do something simpler, so as to approach this specialty, since I’m not a cross man like Petrucci. Our problem isn’t really speed, since we’re more than specialists in some ways. The problem is understanding the navigation, studying the road book, and all the aspects that follow.”
Petrucci-Pirro wouldn’t be bad as a couple. Have you already told Dall’Igna?
“We’re going have to talk about it. I know that Gigi is passionate about this specialty, since he also has a Dakar Aprilia dating back to the nineties. We could maybe find a solution,” he said smiling. “For me, the Dakar would be the last great challenge as a rider. Also, the emotions you feel in the desert are really spectacular since, with the DesertX, it’s like surfing.”
So the future seems clear. First the 8 Hours, then Dakar, right?
“When I arrived in Ducati, it was one of the first things I asked for. I think the Panigale V4 is competitive for any type of rider, and we’ve seen it also in the Endurance. At the party in Bologna, we talked about Suzuka, and I hope that this request can be met with a team formed by me, Pecco, and Bautista. Obviously, our priority is to get off to a good start in 2023 by focusing on both the MotoGP and the Superbike.”
