Are you the proud owner of a Ducati DesertX? Follow-up question: Do you live in North America? If you answered yes to both of those questions, then we have good news for you. Ducati North America just introduced its new Dirty Dozen Challenge in August 2023. It’s a photo scavenger hunt, in a way—but you must tackle 12 challenging off-road routes on your DesertX to complete it.
The challenge was created by DNA CEO Jason Chinnock—who not only dreamed it up but has also already completed the challenge across five days of riding. There’s a series of videos on Ducati North America’s YouTube page documenting the journey, so you can see what it’s like and think about how, if, and when you want to tackle it yourself.
Each of the 12 routes is located in the Colorado Rockies, along mountain passes that are over 12,000 feet in elevation. As a complement to this challenge, Ducati partnered with off-road map app OnX Offroad to create downloadable route maps for interested Ducatisti to download.
Gallery: Ducati Dirty Dozen Challenge
We’ll link to the official Ducati Dirty Dozen page in our Sources so you can check them out and download them for yourself. (You’ll need the OnX Offroad app on your phone to use them. Incidentally, that app is currently offering a free five-month trial period exclusively for DesertX and Multistrada owners.)
To successfully complete the challenge, you’ll need to ride your Ducati DesertX along the routes of each of the 12 mountain passes, then find the iconic signpost at each one. Next, you’ll need to take a photo to document what you’ve done, share it on social media, and be sure to use the hashtag #DucatiDirtyDozen and also tag @DucatiUSA in your posts.
What happens when you complete the Dirty Dozen Challenge? Once you’ve gathered photographic evidence of completion of all 12 routes, you’ll receive a special limited-edition badge that you can put on your DesertX. You’ll also have the personal satisfaction of having completed the challenge, as well.
For those familiar with the area, the passes involved are: Imogene Pass (13,114 feet), Black Bear Pass (12,840 feet), Cinnamon Pass (12,620 feet), Engineer Pass (12,780 feet), Corkscrew Pass (12,220 feet), Hurricane Pass (12,700 feet), California Pass (12,900 feet), Stony Divide Pass (12,588 feet), Tincup Pass (12,154 feet), Cumberland Pass (12,034 feet), Hancock Pass (12,208 feet), and Mosquito Pass (13,185 feet).
For more information or to download the routes for further examination, visit the Ducati Dirty Dozen page in our Sources.
