Last week, Ducati made much ballyhoo about entering its DesertX Rally into the NORRA Mexican 1000 race (running through the Baja Peninsula). The two-man team consisted of Alexander Smith (son of off-road legend Malcolm Smith) and journo/off-road racer/IG influencer Steve Kamrad. Kamrad was drafted last-minute to replace another injured rider, but was a sensible choice based on his long history of racing big-bore bikes off-road. The end result was a mixed bag for Ducati. At race’s end, Smith had a podium and Kamrad had a DNF after a mechanical, and also a DQ handed down after.

Here’s what Ducati posted after the race was over:

Ducati North America proudly announces the outstanding performance of Alexander Smith in the NORRA Mexican 1000 Rally, where he secured second place overall in the Pro Rally Class with a total time of 22:34:11. From April 28 to May 3, spanning over 1,500 miles, the rugged terrain of Mexico bore witness to Smith’s talent and determination as he piloted the Ducati DesertX Rally.

“This bike’s performance has truly impressed me. Everything I imagined about this bike exceeded my expectations as we fought for the win throughout the entire race,” stated Alexander Smith at the finish line on Friday afternoon. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the winner wants to get their hands on one now.”

The journey began on Day 1, when Smith tackled a challenging 150-mile course with precision, taking first place in Special Stage 1 and second place in Special Stage 2. His consistent performance continued through Day 2, a grueling 200-mile challenge that tested skill and endurance and earned him another second-place finish.

Smith’s strategic navigation and resilience propelled him forward as the rally progressed. Notably, during Day 3’s Special Stage, he took first place after closing a 3-minute gap after the first 16 miles, finishing the stage 1m 56s faster.

During the two-day marathon stages of Days 4 and 5, Smith demonstrated unparalleled grit, clinching second place in Stage 4, and dominating Stage 5. Despite facing challenges such as fuel conservation issues and intense competition, Smith remained focused on his goal, embodying the spirit of Ducati’s commitment to performance.

Day 6 concluded Friday with two Special Stages from La Paz to San Jose Del Cabo. In a relatively short day, the riders completed both special stages in a tight finish with Smith arriving in second place.

Good for Smith—racing a big bike off-road is hard, and considering this is the first time for the DesertX Rally at the event, there was no doubt a steep learning curve.

As for Kamrad’s DNF: Kamrad’s bike caught fire on the second day of the rally, and he was unable to continue. Even with no mechanical DNF, Kamrad would have been disqualified anyway after an incident on Day 1, where he collided with another competitor. Here’s NORRA’s statement:

After careful review of the recorded data, course official reports and information gathered from witnesses and competitors, NORRA Motorcycle Race Director Jimmy Lewis has found it necessary to disqualify motorcycle competitor #53 from the race. The official reason for disqualification was going against course traffic against the orders of course workers. The incident occurred on Day 1 at the finish of Special Stage #1. Penalties were applied earlier based on evidence of unsportsmanlike conduct but were not enough to warrant DQ before the start of day #2. Previous to getting the information necessary to disqualify, and at the 5:30 am briefing of day #2 the course director notified rider #53 of the impending situation. Shortly afterwards #53 withdrew due to his motorcycle becoming inoperable so this notification of disqualification has been delayed for being a lower priority than the safety of riders on course during competition and the difficulties in communication in remote locations in Baja.

The rider that Kamrad collided with was British Columbia-based Matthew Glade, a popular guy in the rally raid community. It’s a bad spot for all involved, with online opinions both exonerating and excoriating Kamrad… and of course, Glade is injured and knocked out of the race, which means the potential for long-term trouble as well as months of prep work gone to waste. The initial online fracas seems to have died down for now, but no doubt the off-road racing community will be arguing about this for a while.