Ducati Australia & New Zealand have put the company ’ s DesertX adventure bike to a thorough test worthy of the DesertX name - they ’ ve taken on the Finke desert race course . Yes , Ducati ’ s DesertX has gone well into the desert and taken on the infamous Finke Desert Race course between Alice Springs and the town of Finke in the Australian outback . Not only did the DesertX and its rider Nick Selleck – himself a Ducati Product Specialist and DRE Adventure Academy Chief Instructor – complete the course on a single tank of fuel . That ’ s 460km in total at a pace you couldn ’ t call a leisurely adventure ride . As one of the world ’ s most iconic desert races and widely regarded as the world ’ s fastest , 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 . Run every June , the race sees competitors using bikes , cars and buggies compete for category honours in a gruelling two-day slog that sees racers and their crews leave Alice Springs with the hope of arriving in the town of Finke on day one , camp overnight to rest , tend to wounds and make neccessary repairs , and then head back again on day two . While the official race doesn ’ t currently offer an adventure category for motorcycles , Ducati Australia has long seen 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 : Un-Finkeable was born . “ 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 ,” Selleck recalled . Ducati Australia Head of Marketing , Alana Baratto , instantly saw the potential to pit the DesertX , and Nick , against one of the world ’ s toughest tracks , to illustrate the capability of the new model in the harsh Australian environment . “ While none of us from Ducati Australia or our colleagues in Italy had any doubt the DesertX could tackle Finke , the parameters we added to